


Kingdom Come

by how_about_no



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Flustered Alec, Forbidden Love, Happy Ending, M/M, Magic-Users, Merlin AU, POV Alec, POV Alternating, POV Magnus Bane, Plotty, Prince Alec, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Stuttering, Team Dynamics, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Warlock Magnus Bane, eventually resolved, kind of, stuttering alec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-07-10 10:02:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6978823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/how_about_no/pseuds/how_about_no
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Magnus, the High Warlock of Idris is called to protect its richest kingdom, Alicante, even though magic is practically forbidden there.<br/>Alec is the crown prince of Alicante, and has a deep mistrust of magic-users and a legacy on his shoulders.<br/>Their worlds collide.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re the warlock.”<br/>“I am,” Magnus made blue fire appear in his hand, and Alec flinched, sure it would be thrown at him. Then it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, “And you are?”<br/>“I’m Alec.” He blinked, his hand dropping, completely unsure of what to do. It had been a while since he had to talk to a stranger, but if Magnus was a guest in the castle, he had to be accommodating. His father had taught him as much. But his father had also taught him to never trust a magic user.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so I'm posting the first chapter of this, and then I'm going to try write as much as I can so I update as often as possible. 
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Overzealous crimson curtains hung from high ceilings to the floor over windows half their size. Magnus ran his hands over them as he walked, feeling the velvet move under his fingertips like fresh grass. They came away with a layer of dust. Clearly whomever looked after this castle didn’t care for it. If this were Magnus’ home, every crevice would be kept spick and span, ensuring the beauty stayed timeless rather than dated. Then again, these people did not have magic to assist them where Magnus did.

When Magnus was invited here, it was a surprise. Alicante always had a deep, ingrained hatred of magic and all of its children. At first he thought it was a trap. Then he saw the royal crest on the parchment given to him by a knight and felt his stomach tighten with worry. Though he had not been treated with respect, or any human decency, by the people of this kingdom, he valued life whether it be gracious or not. Ragnor always said that was one of his greatest weaknesses. Magnus liked to think love made him stronger, at least love of life, not of individuals. It was known that love of individuals had always been Magnus’ downfall.

He looked up, appreciating the gold lining every beam holding the glorious place up. Magnus had visited many castles, rest assured, but Alicante had always been one of the wealthiest places in the country. Secretly he had always wanted to come here.

“In here.” The knight leading him through the winding corridors stopped beside a grand wooden door.

“Are you not going to open it for me?” Magnus drawled, raising an eyebrow. The knight scoffed, muttering something under his breath- probably derogatory- before walking away without replying,

“You just can’t get the staff these days.” Magnus flicked a hand in distaste.

The doors opened up into a vast space with a long marble table in the middle, a throne sitting at the end, large and seemingly out of place. It was encrusted with gold and jewels, like most of the castle, and had a man sitting in it dripping with just as much riches. The colour of him and the throne looked odd in such a grey, dark room.

“Magnus Bane.” The King stated, rubbing a hand over his greying beard- which Magnus found ironic as his head was completely absent of hair, “Sit.”

“Your Majesty,” Magnus ducked his head in an aborted bow before sitting in the seat farthest away from the king. He hadn’t heard good things. Perhaps Robert Lightwood _was_ a great leader, a just and kind man to his people, but warlocks, and other magic users, hadn’t had such luck in these parts. Often, they would be persecuted for petty crimes to do with magic, anything to stop them from using it, “Why have you called me here?”

“My people,” Robert clenched his jaw, as if speaking to Magnus civilly physically pained him, “My kingdom, are in danger. We have been threatened by _druids_ ,” He spat the word, “Who say they will wreak havoc if I do not adhere to their ridiculous demands. I have called you here to protect us. As a trusted,” His mouth twisted, “Magic user, many have recommended you to come to our aid.” Magnus sat back in his chair, his eyebrows raised in defiance. He knew to respect a king, but a warlock’s work didn’t come for cheap. Especially Magnus’. “You will be paid richly, of course.”

“Richly?” Magnus repeated, curling his lips into a sly smirk.

“Yes.” Robert confirmed tightly, “As you must know, we are not a poor kingdom.”

“Oh,” Magnus chuckled, “I know.”

“Do you accept?”

“Well,” Magnus clucked his tongue, “I am only one man.”

“A powerful one.” Robert leaned back in his thrown, his fingers tapping impatiently on the arm rest.

“Indeed,” Magnus tilted his head, “Is it wards you want? Protection? Defence?”

“For now.”

“You must know,” Robert raised an eyebrow at Magnus’ incredulous tone, “ _Your Majesty,_ that we warlocks do not like to get involved in human conflict.”

“Explain that to the druids.” Robert bristled.

“Forgive me,” Magnus waved a hand, “But warlocks and druids are not and will never be the same thing. Warlocks have been around for centuries, we are born into our magic, bread with it, where druids are humans dabbling. We cannot be compared as if we are the same brand.”

“You are magic users,” Robert leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table in front of him in a more offensive manner than kingly, “That is all I need to know.”

“I will not fight,” Magnus enunciated each word, making sure the King understood his point, “Only defend.”

“And if I want you to fight?” Robert let out a deep breath, and Magnus pursed his lips.

“Then we are done here.” He moved to stand up, pushing his chair out behind him with his thighs and pushing himself with splayed fingers on cold marble.

“Wait,” Robert’s eyes were closed, as if he suddenly had a crippling headache- Magnus is often compared to one- his hand touched to his forehead, “Will your warding of the kingdom be strong enough to hold?”

“I am the high warlock of Idris,” Magnus smiled slightly, loving being able to use his title to the King of Alicante, “Have no doubt your kingdom will be safe in my hands.”

“You will receive payment when the threat is gone.” Robert waved his hand and two guards that had been hidden in the shadows at the back of the room led Magnus out, flanking both sides.

“Wouldn’t you two just be wonderful at hide and go seek.” Magnus teased. He, predictably, was ignored.

 

The feel of sweat dripping down his spine always calmed Alec down. Nothing took the tension out of his body as well as training. He hit the wooden figure again, hard enough to make the headless spear he was using to spar splinter and snap in two. With a huff, he threw it to the side and moved to the edge of the grass to get another.

His father was stressed, which made Alec stressed, and when Alec was stressed Izzy would get stressed too. The best option in this situation was always to go out to the courtyard and train until all Alec can think about was the ache in every muscle rather than the tension in his father’s shoulders and the crease in his brow. He had done a good job avoiding everyone today, even the guard wouldn’t know where he was if his father or sister asked. It was a long time ago that Alec learned to hide from the prying eyes of his family and their staff.

This courtyard wasn’t closed off. Anyone could walk by and see him, but all staff knew not to disturb him if he was training, that is if they didn’t want to have a knife thrown past their heads. Of course, Alec would never actually hit them, but giving them a good scare was never far from his mind.

The wooden pole Alec chose is thicker than the last, and would hopefully last longer. Usually only three or four get broken during these sessions, but today Alec felt he would probably stay out until past dusk. His father had done nothing but talk about the druids and their plan of attack for _weeks,_ always looking to Alec for ideas and support, so he could relieve some weight from his shoulders. Alec was used to it; it was his _job_ as crown prince to help his father with these things. That’s why he took his stress out on the wooden dummy rather than anyone else.

It frustrated him that he could never just do his job, move on, get another duty and handle it with grace like his father. Alec always needed an outlet. It was _pathetic._

As he punched, kicked and shouted, Alec thought about what his father told him that morning. Robert had invited a warlock to come to the castle- a _magic user-_ to protect the kingdom. For all Alec pondered it, he simply could not understand why his father thought that was a good idea. Since he was born, Alec was taught all about how magic users had brought nothing but pain to the kingdom and its surrounding villages. No matter how much he argued, though, his father was set on this.

Isabelle liked to say that Alec’s distrust of magic users simply came from his distrust of _everyone._ That wasn’t true. Alec trusted people, he was just careful. In order to become close with someone, to _trust_ them, they had to earn it. Alec was raised to believe in earning your keep, doing what was right and obeying the rules. That is what he had always done. It is what he would always do.

With a burst of strength, Alec broke the pole, splintering the dummy slightly too. He sighed and walked up to it, ignoring the ache in his legs. The wood was rough where Alec stroked his thumb over it. His thin shirt was sticking to his skin, and his muscles weren’t just aching but _burning,_ so he decided to call it a day.

As he usually did, Alec threw the broken pole down with the others and grabbed the pile to make the fire up in his room. His father kept reminding him that he had servants for a reason, that he should get them to do it, but Alec felt useless if he couldn’t build his own fire. He could dress himself, wash himself, feed himself, he didn’t need someone to do it for him.  

The stone wall moved aside for him as Alec walked up to it. When he was ten, he discovered the secret passage after running away from his nurse while she was distracted. He was so clueless back then, careless and reckless, constantly breaking the rules there to keep him safe. Though he knew better now, he still didn’t regret finding the passage.

It must’ve been done using blood magic, as he had seen many maids walk past it and never have it open for them. An ancestor of Alec’s could have hired a warlock to make it as a backup escape route in case of attack. Now it was used as Alec’s escape from his life, his responsibilities.

It was probably one of the only things Alec had that no one else did.

The door led to a small corridor, hidden away next to one of the main walkways for maids and servants to get to the rooms of those they served. Alec turned to make sure the stones reassembled themselves behind him, then continued on his way to his room. It took two spiral staircases and another blood magic door to get to the corridor his bed chambers were on. Luckily, maids and servants knew not to go to him at any hours when he could be in there, which included right now.

Alec strolled to the wooden door, then saw something in the corner of his eye. He turned quickly to see someone close another door on the corridor, one of the guest rooms.

Assuming it was one of the maids, Alec went into his room and threw the broken pieces of wood into his fireplace.

 

Magnus was woken up by a fierce knock on his door. He always assumed that the servants in castles just came into the rooms, offering breakfast with a monotonous voice. Clearly he was wrong. With a groan, Magnus threw the sheets off his legs and made his way to the door. He was wearing one of his silk shirts, woven with golden and red silk, and pulled on some black slacks on his way so he was deemed appropriately dressed in case they pulled him away to go somewhere to perform his warlock duties.

“Morning.” It was a girl. Dark hair, deep brown eyes, a long blue dress that hugged her curves. A necklace hung from gold chain around her neck, the ruby glinting in the light.

“Isabelle Lightwood.” Magnus stated, unaffected by the sudden presence of a princess at his door. The only reason he recognised her was because of the necklace, a known Lightwood family heirloom Magnus had come across during his romance with one Camille Belcourt.

“Magnus Bane,” Isabelle grinned, her excitement clear in the sparkle of her eyes, “I’ve wanted to meet you for so long.”

“So have many people, darling,” Magnus leant on his doorframe, smiling, “Not many, however, have woken me up at the crack of dawn to tell me so.”

“I’m a princess,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, both entitled and sarcastic. Magnus liked her, “I do what I want.”

“Indeed you do.” Magnus let silence fall, hoping that Isabelle had come to do something other than just wake him up.

“Come with me,” She straightened her posture, “I have something to show you that you might like.”

“I hope it’s a cute boy.” Magnus followed her- closing the door behind him of course- when she started walking away, her gait steady and confident, as if she were entering a ball.

“We have plenty of those,” She waved a hand, unfazed by Magnus’ blatant admittance to being interested in men, “What I have to show you is far more important and interesting.”

“You’re giving me high hopes, Isabelle.”

“Good.” Isabelle winked at him over her shoulder as they wound round endless golden corridors, filled with paintings of ancestors and fruit. Magnus narrowed his eyes at a particularly disturbing picture of what was either an old woman or a mouldy peach in a dress.

“Here.” Isabelle stopped in front of a small, old door. Its handle looked worn and rusted, the hinges blackened with age.

“Anti-climactic.” Magnus raised an eyebrow but Isabelle merely smiled, her hand on the knob.

“Are you sure?” She opened the door. The room they stepped into didn’t match the door at all.

The walls stretched up for miles, but they weren’t walls, they were shelves. Endless books lined the room. Ladders were spread over the expanse of bookshelves, on sliders so that people could reach the higher racks. Magnus couldn’t help a little gasp. There had to be thousands of books in here. He walked up to the shelf on his right, next to the door, and ran his fingers over the spines of a few books, looking decades old.

There was no dust. This room was cared for, looked after, like it deserved to be. In the centre of the room were 4 tables, still with a few bookshelves between them, like there was so little room on the main walls that they had to make more to fit in the collection. Magnus spun around, looking at the whole room in all its glory, with golds and silvers and reds calling out to him.

“We have the biggest library in Idris,” Isabelle lamented, walking by the shelves herself, looking at the books sitting on them lovingly, “Thousands of books from up to 200 years ago.” She looked at him, he hair hanging slightly over her face, “Many of them magical. Though those are higher up, trying to be hidden from prying hands.”

“Isabelle,” Magnus breathed, shaking his head at her, “This is beautiful.”

“I know.” Isabelle grinned, then grabbed a red, leather-bound book from one of the lower shelves, “I’ll leave you alone with these. Enjoy.”

“Thank you.”

After the door closed, Magnus was alone. He felt the books of magic calling out to him, and ran over to the closest ladder, climbing up a few steps until he reached a row of spell books.

“Soul Magic,” He whispered, reading, and pulled the book from the shelf before climbing back down. He turned to book over in his hands, gently stroking the spine, “Aren’t you beautiful.”

After a few hours of sitting with his feet up on a table, rolling blue flames over in his hand, Magnus had gotten through three books. His magic allowed him to do many things quicker than the average human. Often, reading fast was a gift, something useful, but Magnus wished he could savour books, appreciate them for as long as possible. Even as he read, Magnus formed wards in his head that could be used to protect the castle and kingdom, including the surrounding villages.

The door opened on the other side of the large room, and for some reason Magnus leapt up and hid behind one of the bookshelves closest to him. He watched as a lone figure walked in. They were hunched over, black hair hanging over their face.

The boy seemed to know exactly where he was going. He walked to a shelf on the left of the door and pulled a book out as if from muscle memory. He was wearing a flowing white shirt that hung from him pleasingly, along with black slacks tucked into brown, leather boots that looked older than the boy himself.

“Who are _you_?” Magnus whispered to himself, a warm feeling curling in his gut.

Suddenly, the boy looked up, straight at the bookshelf Magnus was hiding behind.

“Who’s there?” His voice reverberated across the room, deep and gravelly, like he hadn’t spoken in days, “Show yourself.”

“Aren’t you a good little soldier.” Magnus stepped out from the shadows, having gained enough composure to look at the boy without melting.

“Who are you?” The boy touched his hip, as if reaching for a sword that wasn’t there _. I was just thinking the same thing,_ Magnus thought.

“Magnus Bane.”

 

Alec frowned at the stranger in front of him. He was tall, but not as tall as Alec, with dark hair that stayed up in a style he wasn’t familiar with, as if by magic. His clothes could only be described as eccentric, with reds and golds, silk and satin. There was something about the man that made Alec swallow around a non-existent stone in his throat.

He was _gorgeous._

Wait, what did he say his name was again?

“You’re the warlock.”

“I am,” Magnus made blue fire appear in his hand, and Alec flinched, sure it would be thrown at him. Then it was gone as quickly as it had appeared, “And you are?”

“I’m Alec.” He blinked, his hand dropping, completely unsure of what to do. It had been a while since he had to talk to a stranger, but if Magnus was a guest in the castle, he had to be accommodating. His father had taught him as much. But his father had also taught him to never trust a magic user.

“What have you got there?” Magnus leant his hip against the table next to him, which drew Alec’s gaze to it, which, no.

“Uh-” Alec snapped his eyes away, his cheeks burning, “It’s a story about a prince. He saves his kingdom from trolls. I loved it when I was a kid.”

“Ah, I think I’ve heard of it,” Magnus tapped a delicate, paint covered finger to his chin, “Is it, perchance, called ‘The Boy Prince’?”

“Yeah- uh- have- have you read it?” Alec wasn’t sure why he was so nervous, but he assumed it was because of the blue fire. It must’ve unnerved him.

“I’ve read nearly every book in here,” Magnus twirled a finger, pointing upward, “I’ve been around a long time.”

“How long?”

“Now now, Alexander,” Magnus teased, a small smile on his face, “I don’t give away my age to pretty young boys that easily.”

“Oh- uh- I’m not-” Alec floundered, not really sure what he was trying to say.

“Not what?” Magnus prompted expectantly, watching Alec in such a way that sent shivers down his spine, like he was seeing into his very soul.

“Not- uh- trying to pry.” Alec pursed his lips. He was meant to say he wasn’t _interested,_ but then Magnus would have said he wasn’t trying to flirt with him anyway, which was obvious, and Alec would have had to go and beat up the already splintered dummy. His muscles twitched painfully as if begging him not to. He grimaced, shuffling on his feet to ease the pain. In that moment, he realised he may have gone too far the day before.

“Are you alright?” Magnus was suddenly much closer, only arm’s length away, his eyebrows drawn together in concern.

“Fine.” Alec cleared his throat, schooling his face into a blank expression, a skill he learned a long time ago. Though it usually convinced everyone, excluding his sister, Magnus simply raised an eyebrow, not buying it in the slightest.

“You know,” Magnus’ eyes flicked from Alec’s face to different parts of his body, as if mentally assessing damage, “I am known for my healing abilities. I can take your pain away.”

“You use your magic to heal?” Alec couldn’t keep the confusion from his voice, and immediately regretted it when Magnus looked almost offended.

“Of course,” He said, “It is one of the first things I learned.”

“Okay.” Alec said, surprising himself more than Magnus.

“Okay?”

“Um- you can- uh-” Alec gestured over himself, unable to stop himself, “Take the pain away.”

“Alright.” Magnus reached a hand out, then paused, “It may feel a little weird if it’s your first time.”

“Yeah- I- um- okay.” Alec looked away, feeling his cheeks get hot again. The implications of the sentence went unsaid. He then felt a gentle hand on his arm, and a warm sensation spread through his body, ebbing his pain away.

“There.” Magnus stepped away after a few moments, his eyes slightly glazed over, “Feel better?”

Alec blinked for few seconds, still feeling the warmth swimming through him, chasing his pain away.

“Yeah- I- uh,” Alec coughed, “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Magnus smiled, easy and slow, making Alec’s knees weak. He refused to show it on his face, “Why are you in the castle anyway? A knight? Servant?”

“You don’t know?” Alec frowned.

“No?” Magnus laughed slightly, “Should I? I mean, Alec is quite a common name around these parts.”

“I’m Alec Lightwood.” Alec watched as Magnus’ eyes widened and he took another, not so subtle, step away, “The prince.”

“Oh.” Magnus’ smile fell, “Well, that is information I would’ve preferred much earlier, _your majesty.”_

“I assumed you knew.” Alec grumbled, trying to ignore the sudden formality in Magnus’ tone. It was nice to be talked to like a normal person for once, and now that was gone.

“I did not.” Magnus nodded, smiling again, but this time it was tight, forced, “I’ll see you around Alexa- _your majesty.”_

“You don’t ha-” Alec started but Magnus was already gone, the door slamming shut behind him.

Silence fell on the vast library, and Alec could almost hear the dust settle where Magnus had made his hasty retreat. He walked over to the table Magnus must’ve been sat on, as there was a small pile of books on it. The one on the top caught Alec’s eye.

“Soul magic.” Alec read, and sat down. He looked between the book in his hand and the pile by his side, and put ‘The Boy Prince’ down.

This was purely for research. If they were going to be attacked by druids, Alec should know all he can about magic. It wasn’t about Magnus, or the fire in his hands, or the warmth that spread through him when Alec’s pain was taken away. Magnus was a man, which was bad enough, but he was also a _magic user_. Alec didn’t trust them, and certainly didn’t trust Magnus.

This was about his kingdom.

_Soul magic is the purest form of human made magic-_

Alec settled into his seat, kicking his feet up onto the table. He was going to be here a while.


	2. The Royal Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING- internalised homophobia

Magnus’ warlock duties started the next day. He hadn’t expected to get a lot of time to settle into the castle because of the dire nature of the situation, but he was still a little flustered when two guards walked into his room at God knows what hour of the morning to take him to the border. Unlike Robert, Magnus had some ideas for a subtler approach to protect the kingdom. Where Robert wanted killing curses for any druids that crossed the border, Magnus wanted any way into the kingdom to be blocked by fire you can only pass through if you have no ill intent. No one needed to know he stole the idea from Ragnor.

After setting the fire triggers up in various parts of the kingdom’s border, then even more around the castle, Magnus decided to have a little bit of fun. He said he needed to set something up that would make druids identifiable to anyone who wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from looks alone. This would mean the knights could be notified and the druid would be taken away. Fortunately, Magnus got free reign on what this identification would be.

At first he wanted to turn their skin pink, but that would have been an overcomplicated spell simply for Magnus’ amusement. Instead, he settled on making all their body hair glittery. He was talking full on, multi-coloured, bright and shiny glitter. Not only would they stand out like a sore but fabulous thumb, they’d never have to worry about beauty again.

Really, Magnus was doing them a favour.

“All done for today.” Magnus clapped his hands together, then turned to the guards behind him, “I’m sure I’ll have some more ideas cooked up for you fellows tomorrow, but for now this will do.”

Both guards nodded at him before walking away in perfect formation as if marching into battle. Magnus was not sad to see them leave, and loved to watch them go. Knights are built, what can he say?

They finished up just by the castle, at an entrance for both knights, and peasants seeking refuge. Magnus dusted off his hands on his velvet trousers, the amount of excursion having made him clammy. As this was the first time that day he had been left alone it seemed unkind to waste the opportunity for a wander. As a warlock, predictably, he hadn’t been given the royal tour.

Magnus would just have to give himself the tour.

After around half an hour of walking around and making things up about random unique characteristics- “This dent in the wall was made by a faerie having a fight with a gorilla. They eventually fell in love.”-, Magnus came across a small path into a courtyard around the back of the castle. As a curious- and incredibly impulsive- man, he strolled down it with his hands in his pockets, whistling a merry tune.

His whistling stopped immediately, however, when he saw just _who_ was in the courtyard.

There was Alec, in all his rippling muscled glory, punching and kicking at a wooden dummy that looked worse for wear. His shirt lay forgotten on the ground and _oh_ , how Magnus was thankful for that.

Magnus should really have walked away, pretended he had never seen anything and not talk to the prince. That was just the thing, Alec was a _prince._ Not only a prince, but the prince of Alicante, a famously magic-hating, warlock-banishing, mundane-loving kingdom. No doubt Alec hated all magic users, especially warlocks whom were Lilith’s children, half demon, and hated for it.

Yesterday had been far too close. If Magnus had become close to Alec, who knew what Robert would have done to him. It was bad enough that Magnus was a man, but a warlock? Alec’s father would burn the world to the ground.

But watching Alec here, seemingly unseen, attacking a piece of wood with such venom and perfect form, it was hard for Magnus to say no. It had been a long time since someone had taken his breath away, made him feel anything other than indifference or amusement, so there was so much conflict between what Magnus wanted and what was good for him.

He was never really known for choosing the latter.

“Magnus.” Alec suddenly stopped what he was doing and stooped to pick up his shirt he had clearly shucked off during his workout.

“Okay,” Magnus’ eyes trailed up the man’s body, completely unashamed at being caught, “I’m back.”

“What are you doing here?” Alec’s mouth twitched, as if he wanted to smile but held it back.

“Admiring the view,” Magnus pointedly raised an eyebrow, eyes still locked on Alec, “Your castle is truly beautiful.”

“My castle,” Alec repeated, sceptical, his lip curling into an almost smile, “That’s what you came here to see?”

“Actually, I wanted to see where the mysterious path here led,” Magnus gestured behind him, “I have to say, I am not disappointed.”

“I’m glad.” Alec finally let go and actually grinned, pulling his shirt over his head.

“Oh,” Magnus complained, “You don’t have to get dressed up for _me_.”

“I’ll give you the royal tour,” Alec said, biting his lip, ignoring the comment, “If you want.”

“Alexander,” Magnus said, “I would love that.”

 

Alec didn’t know what he was doing. It seemed whenever he saw Magnus, things he wanted to say just came out, like word vomit. He couldn’t stop himself from accepting help, and now he offered to give Magnus the royal tour. Alec has never even _given_ the royal tour.

“Uh-” He said, pointing down a corridor, “That’s uh- that’s where the kitchen is. I usually sneak down here in the evening to get snacks and stuff. I’m sure you can do the same thing if no one catches you.”

“I can be sly if I want to be.” Magnus said smoothly, looking at Alec rather than where he was pointing.

“Yeah? Um- that’s- good. That’s good.” Alec nodded dumbly before walking towards the kitchen door, intent on shutting himself up with some bread or meat, “I’m actually pretty hungry from that session so- do you mind?”

“Not at all.” Magnus followed, looking calmly at the walls and the paintings on them, “You’ll have to tell me all about these paintings when we come back out.”

“I hate to say this,” Alec smiled over his shoulder, “But I don’t actually know who half these people are. Before us, the Lightwoods, dozens of families lived here. That’s why we have so many spare bed chambers. A lot of these portraits have been here for generations and we haven’t bothered to take them down.”

“So the castle has an even deeper history than you know,” Magnus nodded, going through the door Alec held open for him, “That has to be frustrating.”

“Not really.” Alec shrugged, winding through the people in the kitchen, grabbing some bread from the table in the middle. The servants were used to his presence in here. They simply gave him tired looks like he was ruining their day when really they loved it.

“How you’re not bigger than that with all you eat is beyond me, Alec.” One of the main chefs, Alissa, said.

“I work hard.” Alec smiled at her and she patted his cheek before continuing with her work.

“What are they preparing for?” Magnus asked, and dusted flour from his jacket when one of the younger servants bumped into him, “This is a lot of food.”

Alec glanced around the room, seeing many silver platters with meat, breads and potatoes piled on them. He shrugged then, frowning.

“I don’t know.” He said, “My father hasn’t told me anything about a feast.”

“It’s for the warlock!” A young boy with light blond hair shouted from the other side of the room, clearly unaware of what ‘the warlock’ looked like.

“I don’t need all this.” Magnus said.

“His name is Magnus.” Alec said at the same time, raising his eyebrows at the boy, not sure why he was being so defensive over the man.

“Sorry.” The boy stammered before turning back around and carrying on cutting carrots.

“The King only told us about it around an hour ago, sire,” Alissa clarified, rolling out dough on the middle table expertly, “It was a last minute decision.”

“Are my sister and I invited?”

“I assume so.” Alissa shrugged and Alec ripped off a bit of bread.

“Well I’m going, whether father wanted me or not.” Alec chewed as he spoke, forgetting his manners, then turned to Magnus, “I mean- if- if that’s alright with you?”

“That would be lovely.” Magnus smiled, “I’ve been meaning to catch up with your sister anyway, to thank her for showing me the library.”

“She was so excited about you coming.” Alec felt his smile when he thought about his sister, “Goodbye Alissa! Thank you for the bread.”

“Get out of here, scoundrel.” Alissa’s laughter followed Alec and Magnus out of the room.

“She seems lovely,” Magnus kept pace with Alec, his eyes soft, “A beautiful young woman.”

“Yeah,” Alec side eyed the man, “You’re not- you’re not trying to court her are you?”

“Oh _God_ no.” Magnus burst into laughter, but Alec wasn’t sure what was funny, “Your sister is wonderful but she isn’t exactly my type.”

“Then what is?”

“Oh Alexander,” Magnus pursed his lips, as if trying not to laugh again, “You’re adorable.”

“I’m not.” Alec frowned.

“You are.”

“Am not!”

“Am _are.”_

“That didn’t make grammatical sense.” Alec crossed his arms, inevitably tucking the bread under his armpit which he immediately regretted.

“Hey, can you two keep it down? I’m trying to admire myself over here.” Alec’s eyes ripped away from Magnus to see Jace smirking at himself in a body length mirror, fiddling with his hair as if it would make it any less perfect.

“Are you ever doing anything else?” Alec teased, walking up to his lifelong friend.

When he was younger, Jace had always kept him grounded when having the privileges of a prince got to his head. They had been through a lot together, many battles, many wars, including between themselves.

“I might also check _you_ out a bit but other than that, no.” Alec rolled his eyes. That was another thing Jace did, flirt endlessly but without intent.

“Keep it in your pants, Jace. Why are you here anyway?”

“There’s someone in the kitchen I’m seeing,” He finally turned away from his own reflection and waggled his eyebrows. Alec resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, “Who’s this?”

“Hello,” Magnus said smoothly, composure perfectly in place, which was rare when people met Jace for the first time, “I’m Magnus Bane.”

“Ah,” Jace nodded, suddenly serious, “The warlock here to protect us?”

“Lovely word, protect.” Magnus tilted his head, assessing Jace. Alec would be lying if he said his gaze didn’t linger on the man’s throat before moving away, “I’m glad _someone_ knows how to use it.”

“I like stabbing people as much as the next guy but it’s frowned upon so I try to avoid it. I’m guessing Robert tried to get you to be a mighty wizard warrior? He tends to do that.” Jace shrugged, adjusting his grip on the helmet under his arm.

“Are you a knight?” Magnus asked, waving a delicate hand that Alec noticed had extensive jewellery on every finger.

“ _The_ knight.” Jace corrected, puffing his chest out. There was a time when Alec would have found that irresistible, but now it just triggered a raised eyebrow in response.

“He’s the head knight-”

“I like to call myself _might one-_ ”

“And his head is bigger than Idris.” Alec finished with a glare in Jace’s direction, whom just looked smug and overly pleased with himself.

“I can see that.” Magnus laughed, looking between the two as if spotting something neither of them were aware of. There was glitter around Magnus’ eyes that Alec hadn’t noticed before, just having assumed it was his eyes sparkling. Not that they didn’t now that he noticed the glitter. The silver twinkle just added to Magnus’ beauty.

“I’ll leave you love birds alone,” Jace pushed between them- Alec hadn’t noticed how closely he and Magnus were standing- with a grin, “Wish me luck with Petra!”

“Isn’t she like 30?” Alec shouted, Jace having gotten plenty of distance in such a short time period.

“Age is a social construct!” Jace didn’t bother turning around.

“That’s not how it works!” Alec tried to reply but the other boy was already gone.

“Is he always like that?” Magnus asked, his eyes alight with amusement and something else Alec couldn’t place.

“Yeah, pretty much.”

Magnus smiled then, not like one Alec had seen before. It was small, almost private, and Magnus seemed shocked that he had done it because he immediately schooled his features into a more aloof expression.

“Shall we continue my tour?” He asked abruptly.

“We shall.”

Alec didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t know where this was going. All he knew was that when Magnus was by his side, the weight on his shoulders seemed to slip away, if only for a little while.

 

“Well,” Isabelle muttered, hardly moving her mouth so only Magnus could hear, “Isn’t this awkward?”

Magnus simply laughed in response, which earned him unimpressed looks from both the King and Alec. It didn’t stop him from smiling, but both he and Isabelle turned back to their food without looking at each other.

So far, the feast had been incredibly unpleasant. Magnus and Isabelle were sat beside each other on one side of the overly large table in the throne room, with the King sat on the end and Alec and Jace on the other side, the former wearing a formal jacket and looking quite frankly _delectable._ Magnus didn’t really understand the relationship between Jace and the Lightwoods, nor why he was with them during a feast. It wasn’t the usual place for a knight.

Robert had stiffly asked Magnus about how the wards were doing, to which Magnus replied as professionally as he could. Of course, as soon as he mentioned the glitter, Isabelle and Jace went into a fits of giggles, even Alec had smiled, looking at Magnus like he was something other than the warlock that walked into his life the day before.

The King did not find it so funny.

They had fallen into silence after that, which was only broken by Isabelle’s comment.

“Alec,” The King finally looked away from the two disappointments, “Have you trained today?”

“Yes,” Alec’s back was straight as a pole, his head held high, like a soldier, “I trained for a few hours this morning.”

“And for the rest of the day?” Robert was looking at his plate, and Alec shot a glance Magnus’ way, looking like a startled rabbit.

“I went for a walk.” Alec lied, and Magnus moved his food around, not really feeling like eating. So Alec _did_ think less of magic-users, having been too ashamed to tell his father that he was in Magnus’ company. He should have known.

“All day?” Robert probed suspiciously. Jace was frowning at Alec, looking between him and Magnus like he was missing something. He seemed to try and communicate with Magnus simply through eye contact. All Magnus could do without drawing the King’s attention was twist his mouth, hoping it gave some sort of message. Magnus wasn’t even sure what message he was trying to give.

“Yes.”

Silence fell again after Alec’s reply.

“Thank you for dinner, father.” Isabelle dropped her fork with a clatter, “But I have reading to do. May I be dismissed?”

“Of course.” Robert seemed surprised by her outburst, and so did Alec, looking at her as if she had ripped his heart out of his chest.

“Goodnight, Father, Magnus, Jace,” Her gaze fell on Alec, full of disappointment and anger, “Alec.”

With that, she stormed out of the throne room, the huge wooden door slamming shut behind her with a resounding boom.

“What an exit.” Jace whistled lowly.

“I’m done with my food.” Robert pushed his plate away resolutely, “Dismissed.”

Alec and Jace stood up immediately, muttering their thanks before moving out of the room in orderly fashion. Magnus quickly bowed before following them out, not wanting to be alone in a room with the King if he could help it.

“What is her _problem_?” He overheard Alec hiss a few steps ahead, through the door.

“Don’t be an idiot, Alec,” Jace replied calmly, “Go talk to her.”

“No,” Alec had his hands on his hips when Magnus caught sight of him. He and Jace were stood just to the side of the doors, heads close together, one stressed and frustrated, the other cool and collected, “She needs to get over herself on her own.”

“I’m sure that’s exactly what she’s thinking.”

“What-” Alec cut himself off, having spotted Magnus lurking in the doorway. He immediately felt bad for eaves dropping, but they hadn’t exactly gone somewhere private to talk.

“Sorry,” Magnus said quickly, backing away, “I’ll just go to my room. Goodnight, boys.” He turned around and started to walk away, mentally scolding himself for even feeling guilty for something so trivial. What was this place _doing_ to him?

“Wait,” Alec called out, and Magnus stopped, but didn’t look behind him, “I’ll walk with you.”

“Alec-” Jace pleaded, but Alec interrupted him.

“I’m going to bed.” He said, with the voice of a man who would be king one day, “If Isabelle wants to talk, she can come to _me._ ”

Without another word, there were fast footsteps coming toward him, then Alec was by his side, his mouth in a thin line.

“Do you know anyone in these paintings?” Magnus asked, trying to break the tension between them. It worked slightly, Alec’s shoulders relaxing minutely and his mouth loosening.

“There’s one of my grandparents just up there.” Alec pointed down a corridor which was not the way they needed to go, but Magnus didn’t care.

“Show me.”

 

The fire crackled and hissed when Alec poked at it. He wasn’t moping. Princes don’t _mope._

He threw the poker down with a clatter and resumed his pacing. Alec was just contemplating, thinking, and feeling slightly sorry for himself. That wasn’t moping.

It had been two days since the feast, two days since he had seen Magnus, two days since he had even left his room. For the first time in years, Alec accepted the help of servants. They brought him his breakfast, lunch and dinner, no questions asked. It was a good system.

Alec wasn’t usually one for avoiding his problems. In most cases, he would run toward them head on and fight it out until he came out on top. That couldn’t happen when the problem was within himself. He always had inner conflict, always wanted things he couldn’t and never would have. Isabelle always saw straight through him, like when Jace first came to the kingdom and Alec was besotted, then when they had Dumort’s prince stay and Alec had been fallen over himself to be the boy’s friend.

Though he had never actually admitted it, Isabelle knew. Before Alec had even admitted it to himself, even though he still hadn’t fully, Isabelle was there as if she were inside his head and heart.

But the thing was, it always ended the same way. Jace saw him as a brother, the Dumort prince was straight as hell, and now Magnus was- well- Magnus was different. For the first time, someone looked at Alec like he was worth something more than just being in line for the throne. When he spoke to Magnus, it felt as if he could have more to offer than fighting or snide remarks.

It was nice.

But, Alec reminded himself, kicking his bed post, Magnus was a _man._ Magnus was also a _warlock._

Nothing could happen. Nothing would happen. Alec just had to wash away any feelings he had for the man because it was simply out of the question. In any case, Alec didn’t like men. He didn’t.

He wasn’t _moping._ Alec was just mourning the loss of what could have been if they were in some other life.

“Look at you,” Isabelle smirked from where she was stood in the open doorway, “Kicking and avoiding your problems like you always do.”

“I’m not.” Alec stated, ignoring the throb in his foot, “I have no problems.”

“You keep telling yourself that, big brother.” Isabelle invited herself into the room and shut the door behind her. She was wearing beige slacks, with one of Alec’s old black shirts tucked into the waist, her heeled boots reaching her knees. It often surprised Alec how amazing his younger sister really was. For the kingdom and its image, she would happily dress in gowns that touched the floor and cover herself so she could be the perfect princess. Though Isabelle did love being beautiful and making an effort with her appearance, there were times when she just wanted to dress down like her brothers. It made Alec’s heart ache that opportunities to do so were sparse.

“Are you here to lecture me?” Alec sat down on the end of his bed, wringing his hands. The bed dipped when Isabelle sat next to him and he stared at the floor, resolutely not looking at her.

“I’m here to talk to you.”

“So, lecture me.” Alec corrected, not being able to stop the ease of the sarcasm that rolled of his tongue. It was a viable defence mechanism, sue him.

“I just want you to know I’m here for you,” She placed a small hand on his forearm, a calming pressure that made him realise he was digging his fingernails into his palm, “Whatever you choose.”

“There is no choice.” Alec stared at her painted nails, his voice surprisingly steady considering how he felt like he was falling apart.

“You keep doing this to yourself, putting the weight of the world on your shoulders like you deserve it. When have you had a nice thing, Alec? Me and Jace always have nice things, and we always get to have fun, but you constantly push yourself to do more than you need to because you feel like you have to. I’m telling you that you don’t. Please do something for yourself for once.”

“I am,” Alec said, “This kingdom, you guys, you are everything to me. I would be unhappier without those things than I would be with whatever it is you want me to choose.”

“Don’t be coy,” Isabelle scolded, “You what you want and it is time you said it.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Alec stood and walked over to the window, feeling himself closing off like he always did.

“Stop this.” Isabelle’s voice wavered, but Alec didn’t turn around.

“I’m not _doing_ anything.”

“You’re shutting yourself away,” Isabelle said, “Stop trying to fit yourself into boxes that aren’t _meant_ for you! You’re hiding behind your duties.”

“I _am_ my duties.”

“You’re a person!” Isabelle yelled desperately, “You have wants like everyone else, just say it.”

“No.”

“Say it or I will.” Isabelle warned.

“There’s nothing to say.” Alec gritted his teeth, trying to keep calm.

“You’re gay, Alec!” Isabelle suddenly shouted, her voice echoing around the room and inside Alec’s head like a taunt, “Would you just-”

“Get out.” Alec clenched his jaw, his eyes burning.

“Alec-”

“I said get out!”

“Fine,” Alec peered over his shoulder to see a tear roll down Isabelle’s cheek, “It’s your life to ruin.”

With that, she left Alec alone with his crippling thoughts. He took in a shaky breath and crumpled to the floor, leaning his back on the wall, feeling his throat and lungs close up.

 _“You’re gay, Alec!”_ Repeated itself in his mind, like the chant of a mocking spirit. He knew all along, really, it wasn’t a surprise. But now it was out in the open. He couldn’t deny it anymore.

Isabelle threw his last shred of hope for being normal in his face, and Alec didn’t know what to do as the tears he had been holding on to for so long escaped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry


	3. The Magic Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isabelle and Magnus bond
> 
> Alec and Jace bond
> 
> Magnus and Alec bond
> 
> just lots of bonding

“I have been warding all day,” Magnus held up a hand when Isabelle walked up to him, “Please do not give me another job.”

“Actually, I was going to ask if you wanted to take a walk.” She inspected her nails, trying for nonchalance that Magnus was not buying at all. Today it seemed she wasn’t going for the ‘gracious princess’ look. In fact, most of her clothes looked as if they belonged to her brothers rather than herself. Even then, he would be willing to bet she looked more beautiful than anyone else in the kingdom- barring Alexander, of course.

“I can’t tell if that is a threat or not,” Magnus narrowed his eyes, and Isabelle’s flicked up, mischief glittering in them, plain as day, “So I’ll say yes in case I wake up in a ditch on the other side of Idris.”

“Good choice.” She held out her arm, and Magnus linked his through it, their hips knocking as Isabelle led him out of the castle gates and into the kingdom beyond.

Flowers and vines trailed across every wall on the path down to the town. Beautiful blues, violets and yellows caught Magnus’ eye, and it wasn’t often that he stared at anything in awe. When you got to his age, nothing was new, nothing was incredible or breath-taking. Magnus sought out the gorgeous, the glamorous, all things that were extravagant and extraordinary.

It was hard to find that in people. More often than not, humans were painfully ordinary. Magnus had come across so many lives, fallen in love over and over again with those he could never give his all to, only having his friends Ragnor and Catarina as constants in his life. Camille had taught him that love was futile. Immortals do not get the luxury of love.

Love is human, and Magnus is not.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Isabelle interrupted his, quite frankly, depressing train of thought.

“You don’t often see flowers this deep in Idris.” Magnus hummed, looking down at the girl beside him, both her arms holding his left.

“They’re always around in Alicante,” They stopped at a balcony that overlooked the town bellow. Isabelle’s face lit up with a smile as she looked over the kingdom. It was bursting with life and colour. People bustled around, chatting and making relationships Magnus would never understand, “This place used to be full of magic. I guess it has never fully disappeared.”

“Not for lack of your father trying.”

“My father is a good man, Magnus.” Isabelle pulled them away from the wall and started walking down some cobbled stone steps, “He tries to take care of his people, but doesn’t understand difference. Magic has caused so much devastation for our family that my father finds it difficult to separate his heart from his mind.”

“Why can’t he see the beauty of it?” Magnus gestured to the flowers making the day shine brighter with vibrant life.

“We Lightwoods get absorbed in our pain and cannot see beyond it,” Isabelle caught his eye, “Alec is the same. Both he and my father think their duty is the only thing that matters. Not what they want. Ever since our mom died, they internalise everything,” She sighed, “It’s extremely frustrating.”

“Why are you telling me this, Isabelle?” Magnus could see the pain in the girl’s eyes, and felt like he was involved in a moment that wasn’t truly his.

“I am telling you this because I care about Alec more than anything.” Isabelle’s eyes lit with a fire of determination, “He cares more than you know, and he is not as tough as he looks. I’m making the decision to trust you-”

“A terrible decision, really-”

“Because I know you care about Alec.” She ignored his comment, “You’ve been here for under a week and he is already under your thumb so just- don’t hurt him, okay? I want you to promise me.”

“Isabelle,” Magnus shook his head slightly, “I can’t-”

“You _can.”_ Isabelle insisted, “Just give him time.”

“It’s more complicated than that. Your brother and I hardly know each other, he’s the prince of a kingdom that hates magic and everyone associated with it. He’s young, I’m centuries old, he’s mortal, I am immortal.”

“ _Promise me_.” Isabelle said. They reached the bottom of the stairs and Magnus stopped, looking out at the people of Alicante, at how careless they seemed in their ignorant world, and unlinked his arm from Isabelle’s.

There were so many things that could go wrong, and so many reasons Magnus shouldn’t promise Isabelle anything. Isabelle, who cared about her family enough to go up to someone who could potentially date her brother and make him promise not to hurt him.

“I promise.” Magnus found himself saying. Isabelle seemed to let out a breath, and linked her arm through his again, seemingly satisfied.

“Good.”

“Here.” Magnus picked a yellow flower from the small, grey, stone wall next to him and tucked it behind Isabelle’s ear, “A beautiful flower, for a beautiful, blossoming young woman.”

“Wrong Lightwood.” Isabelle rolled her eyes, but blushed slightly.

“I appreciate all beauty, Isabelle.” Magnus shrugged, then started walking again, Isabelle next to him with a wide smile. She glowed in the sunlight, her hair dancing in cascades behind her.

“I _am_ beautiful. Call me Izzy.” She smiled at him then, a look reminiscent of her brother.

“Izzy,” Magnus hummed in thought, “I like it.”

“And I like _you,”_ Izzy stated, “I think we are going to become the best of friends.”

“I do hope so.”

 

Alec threw a punch with his right hand, trying to get Jace’s stomach, but the other man easily moved out of reach and smacked Alec in the head for his trouble. Alec stumbled back, lost his footing, and hit the ground with a thud.

“You’re off your game.” Jace offered a hand, and Alec took it. He expected to get the usual nerves from touching Jace, but none came.

“I’m just tired.” Alec said, shaking his head. It didn’t look like Jace bought it but he didn’t say anything, just held his fists up again in the fighting stance.

They had been at it for at least an hour now. The training room in the west wing of the castle was primarily used by Jace, and Alec, whenever they felt like training together. Knights used the one on the east wing. They weren’t really training rooms naturally, but as no one lived in the huge castle apart from Alec, Isabelle, Jace, his father and a few of the full time servants, they could use empty rooms for whatever they wanted.

Jace had claimed this one as soon as he was allowed to train to fight.

Earlier that day, Alec had gone to Jace’s bed chambers and asked him to go and train with him. He could have done it on his own, but so many other muscles are worked when you trained with someone else. Plus, Alec was pretty sure if he attacked that dummy again it would fall apart.

He hadn’t stopped thinking about his encounter with Izzy last night. Usually he would be so good at compartmentalising, he wouldn’t think about what he didn’t want to think about. This was different. It wasn’t like with Jace, where he could ignore his feelings because they were impossible. It was obvious Jace didn’t want him, so Alec could push aside his want and call it ridiculous. That meant not confronting the fact that he was- that- and moving on with his life.

Then Magnus came to Alicante. Magnus, who was beautiful and open about his femininity. Magnus, who spoke to Alec like he was something other than the crown prince. Magnus, whom he hadn’t even known for a week and was already worming his way under Alec’s skin. Magnus, who flirted with him like it wasn’t something scandalous and wrong.

Alec was sure he could push the feelings aside. After all, Magnus was a _warlock,_ so it would be impossible for anything to happen. Then he thought about it. What was so bad about magic-users? All Alec knew was that his father hated magic, and so he should too. He had always done what his father had asked him too. He always did his duties and never asked questions, so why couldn’t he have something for himself for once?

“So, what’s Magnus like?” Jace asked him while throwing punches Alec had to dodge.

“What?” Alec said too defensively, and mentally cursed himself.

“The warlock,” Jace raised his eyebrows, surprised at Alec’s reaction, and kicked out at him, which he easily hit away, “What is he like?”

“Magnus is-” Alec said, trying to think of something that wouldn’t give too much away, “Uh- quite magical.”

“Yeah?” Jace smirked.

“I mean,” Alec shook his head, “He’s-uh- very good at magic.”

“Sure.” Jace laughed.

Alec frowned at the other boy and didn’t notice another kick coming his way. It got him in the side, and he fell over again, hitting his chin on the wooden floor. Jace offered him a hand but Alec batted it away, staying on the ground. As Alec stared at his feet, Jace laughed again.

“Why are you laughing at me?” Alec snapped, not looking at his brother.

“I’m not.”

“You are.” Alec pushed himself to his feet and glared, “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” Jace sobered, “Sometimes you’re just so emotionally stunted it’s ridiculous.”

“What?” Alec stammered, “I’m- I’m not- I don’t-”

“You wanna talk about it?” Jace asked, his arms crossed. When Alec didn’t reply, he continued, “Didn’t think so.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“You keep forgetting,” Jace took a step closer, “I know you. I know when you feel things you don’t want to talk about. I’m just glad it isn’t directed towards _me_ anymore.”

“What?” Alec’s heart dropped, and he leant against the wall.

“Your _feelings_.” Jace said, making quotation marks with his fingers, “I know you thought you liked me. For a long time. You were discovering yourself, and I’m a God, so obviously you directed that towards me.”

“That’s not _fair._ ” Alec pointed at him, as Jace walked even closer, to just an arm’s length away.

“Isn’t it?” Jace moved so his face was inches from Alec’s, “Do you want to kiss me? Right now, tell me, do you want to kiss me?”

“No.” Alec said, and found it was the truth.

“Exactly. It’s not me you want, Alec. That’s called projection.” He finally stepped back and Alec finally let go of the breath he was holding. He frowned at the ground, wondering when his feelings for Jace disappeared.

“I don’t-”

“Just to clear things up,” Jace interrupted him, his back to him, “If we’re doing an ‘opening up’ thing. Liking guys is more common than you think.”

“You?”

“Me.” Jace turned around, holding his hands out either side of him as if surrendering, “I’m just not fussy when it comes to parts, you know? If someone is sexy, male or female, I’m in.”

“That’s uh-” Alec felt himself laugh, “That’s unexpected.”

“Expect the unexpected.” Jace waggled his eyebrows then grabbed Alec into a headlock, “You’re still not in the zone, what’s up?”

“New discoveries are overwhelming.” Alec struggled in Jace’s grip, but it didn’t budge.

“I know,” Jace sighed, “So Magnus is quite magical, huh?”

“Shut up.” Alec used his position to flip himself forward and throw Jace over his back, so the other boy landed on the floor and Alec could straighten up, “Still think I’m not in the zone?”

“That was almost hot.” Jace grinned up at him, and Alec laughed, feeling the weight of last night lift ever so slightly.

 

A few hours of reading in the library did nothing to settle Magnus’ mind. Isabelle seemed to have a way of saying very little while meaning so much more. It was thought provoking. Magnus knew nothing could come of himself and Alexander, not when the other boy was as emotionally open as the marble pillar Mangus was leaning against.

He had decided to go for a walk after a while, deeming it pointless to read when none of the words seemed to go in. Through wandering aimlessly, Magnus found himself outside, in what seemed to be a courtyard garden. It was on a balcony in the east wing of the castle, and had a wonderful view of the stars. They shone above him, reminding him of Alec in a way.

Stars are beautiful, and desirable, but so far away that it was foolish to desire them.

Magnus sighed, sliding down the pillar so he was sat cross-legged on the cobbled floor. He looked out into the garden, and smiled wistfully. The magic here was strong enough to sense, but it was old, rusty. Magnus could imagine how these plants must have glowed when magic was still here. There would have been shining blues, vibrant reds, sparkling yellows. With a click of his fingers, Magnus could bring it all back. He knew he would be flogged for his trouble.

For a moment, he wondered if Alec would appreciate it; if he would look at the aura of magic with awe instead of horror. It was unlikely, considering his upbringing. Magnus conjured sparks around his fingers, watching the fire glow and burn without hurting him, wondering how anyone could see it as evil and not beautiful.

There were footsteps behind him but Magnus didn’t really pay it any attention, continuing to roll the magic over his fingers like the coin trick his mother taught him before she died. Then someone dropped down beside him with a sigh. Magnus slowly looked over to see Alec, tense, looking ahead of him at the garden like it would give him all of life’s answers.

He stayed silent, watching Alec’s profile, waiting for him to say something. Alec’s eyes still glowed in the darkness of the night, like the stars. He was wearing a loose fitting black shirt, untucked as if he threw it on just to leave his room. That theory was even closer to reality when he saw the man was just in socks. It seemed so intimate in a weird way, that Alec would be so underdressed in front of him.

“I’ve had my whole life planned out.” Alec said, still staring at the garden, “I’ve done everything I’m told and believed what I’ve been told to believe. I have duties, orders that I follow no matter what. Rules I live by without any questions. It feels like I’m just-” He sighed, “Coasting. I’m surviving. I’m not _living._ ” Alec finally looked at him, a fire in his eyes that Magnus hadn’t seen before.

“What are you going to do about it?” Magnus asked, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying more. Alec looked between Magnus’ eyes, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I don’t know.” He finally said, and looked away.

“You’ll figure it out.” Magnus brought his knees up and hugged them to his chest, suddenly cold.

“Yeah,” Alec swallowed audibly, “I guess.”

Silence fell between them. Magnus rested his chin on his knees, feeling Alec’s gaze on him.

“Can you show me the-” Alec waved his hand, “The fire thing?”

“My magic?” Alec nodded, “Are you sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Magnus pursed his lips, then clicked his fingers, feeling his magic flow through his arm down to his fingertips. He didn’t watch Alec’s reaction, but felt him flinch, then lean closer, watching as Magnus’ fire danced in the low light.

“It’s beautiful.” Alec breathed.

“Really?” Magnus turned his head to face the younger boy to find their faces far closer than they were before.

“Really.” Alec met his eyes, Magnus’ fire flared up and both of them flinched away, “What happened?”

“Wasn’t concentrating.” Magnus lied, clicking again so the fire fizzled out, “I can show you something else if you want.”

“Yeah,” Alec smiled, “I’d like that.”

“Alright.” Magnus pulled himself to his feet, then offered Alec a hand even though he was sure he could get up on his own, “Prepare to be amazed.”

“I’m prepared.” Alec raised an eyebrow, putting his hands in his pockets as he stood at Magnus’ side. It was honestly surprising that Alec was so unafraid of Magnus’ magic considering where he came from. It wasn’t an unpleasant surprise.

Without another word, Magnus held his arms out either side of himself, feeling his magic glow inside of him, eager to impress Alec. He brought them in as if to clap but stopped when his hands were an inch apart, then let the magic grow between them. It sparked and shone, and he rolled it over a few times before spreading his hands again and letting it flow forward, into the plants and flowers, feeding them with magic.

“Wow.” Alec’s eyes were wide with awe when Magnus finally looked at him. Before he could say anything, the younger boy was walking forwards, toward the now glowing and sparkling plants. He touched one gently with his fingertips, and the flower moved beneath them, as if preening at the touch. Alec giggled adorably and stroked over another, bigger flower- a carnation, Magnus assumed. The flower shook, releasing glitter that fell to the ground and floated in the air around them like mini stars.

Magnus’ magic liked Alec.

“This is gorgeous.” Alec grinned, his eyes dancing with wonder when his gaze caught Magnus’, “Who knew magic could be so- so-”

“Magical?” Magnus offered, moving to Alec’s side.

“Incredible, beautiful, otherworldly.” Alec added, and all Magnus could think was: _Just like you._

“Aren’t you a flatterer.” Magnus smiled, ducking his head.

“We have to leave it like this,” Alec said, looking around at the garden with a royal look, like a king overlooking his kingdom, “So people in this castle can see what magic is really like.”

“But your father-”

“It’ll be fine, Mags.” Magnus blinked at the nickname, having not had one for over 100 years.

“I’ll take your word for it.”

“Good.” Alec nodded seriously, “I don’t break promises.”

“Neither do I.” Magnus thought back to his conversation with Isabelle.

“What else can you do?” All of Alec’s attention was on him now and Magnus didn’t really know what to do with it.

“I can show you my warlock mark if you want?”

“Yes!” Alec grinned, “Show me!”

“Okay.” Magnus let his glamour drop and watched as Alec gazed at his cat eyes, just like how Magnus looked at the stars. He bit his lip and leaned closer, his gaze more curious than anything else.

“Why do you glamour them?” Alec asked, frowning.

“You know the term?” Magnus smirked, trying not to think about how close Alec was, how he could feel the boy’s breath on his lips.

“I did some reading.” Alec ducked his head, only just missing Magnus’.

“I’m already scorned for being a warlock in these parts,” Alec looked up again at that, “I wouldn’t want to make myself an easy target.”

“You shouldn’t have to hide yourself.” Alec’s gaze was so pure and innocent that Magnus had to look away.

“That’s the way it is in your kingdom.”

“My _father’s_ kingdom.” Alec corrected, “It’s not mine yet.”

“And when it is?” Magnus said, still not meeting Alec’s eyes. The boy was quiet for a moment, which was all the confirmation Magnus needed. He stepped away, “Goodnight, Alexander.”

“Wait-” Alec tried to stop him but Magnus was already walking away.

 

Alec, Jace and Isabelle were called to the throne room the next morning by their father. They all looked at each other outside the door, to see if any of them knew what was going on, but when none of them said anything, they walked in shoulder to shoulder. They stood at the end of the table, and Alec held his arms behind his back, straightening his posture as he was trained to do in the presence of a king.

“My children,” Robert smiled at them, but Alec could tell it was forced, “I need one of you to do something for me.”

“Anything.” Alec automatically replied.

“What do you need?” Jace asked.

“There has been some kind of attack in one of the skirting villages I didn’t include in the wards.” Robert’s brows dropped, as if in concern, “I need one of you to go and see what is going on.”

“I’ll go.” Alec immediately offered.

“No,” Jace shook his head, “You’re needed here. In case anyone comes, you need to be morale for the people.”

“No one can get in because of Magnus’ wards.”

“You two are pathetic,” Isabelle rolled her eyes, “I’ll go.”

“No, you’re just a woman.” Robert dismissed her offer with a wave of his hand, and Alec bristled.

“She is just as capable as any of us.” Alec argued, shocking himself with the fact that he just disagreed with his father.

“No matter,” Robert rested his arms on his throne, “Jace, you will go. You’re right about Alec being needed here. Take three knights with you and ride out at once. Report back within a day.”

“Yes, sire.” Jace bowed.

“But, father-” Alec started but Robert rose from his seat and walked out of the room without another word, “What are you doing?” He turned to Jace, “I always go out on these things.”

“Now you’re not,” Jace patted him on the shoulder, “You’re needed here.”

“Why am I needed here more than you?”

“Do you really have to ask that question?” Isabelle raised a perfectly arched eyebrow as she led the way out of the room.

“I’m sure _certain people_ would miss your pretty little face.” Jace chuckled, holding the door open for Alec before closing it and walking with them down the corridor.

“You guys need to stop all this.” Alec waved his hands.

“Are you and Magnus together yet?” Isabelle asked, her hands on her hips. She was wearing a dress again today, probably having thrown it on before going to see their father. Alec tried to remember a time she wasn’t wearing one in front of him.

“No.” Alec muttered.

“Then we can’t stop.” She flicked her hair over her shoulder and continued walking. Jace smiled at the back of her head, rolling his eyes at her bluntness.

“Have you talked to him?” Jace said, and Alec thought back to last night, deciding whether he should tell them or not.

“Yeah,” Alec said, “Last night. He kind of ran off.”

“Why?” Isabelle frowned.

“I don’t know.” Alec lied, unable to get the image of Magnus’ ducked head out of his mind. He knew he should have said something reassuring, that he would lift the ban on magic, but he wasn’t sure. In all honesty, Alec wasn’t sure about _anything._

“I’m sure everything is fine.” Jace knocked Alec’s shoulder with his own, a confident smirk on his face as usual. The only sign he knew something was up being the concern in his eyes, “Right,” He said, stopping where the corridor split off into a T, “This is where I leave you guys.”

“Be careful.” Alec held Jace’s bicep before he could run off like he did every time he was going straight into the face of danger. He had to go to get the knights together, Alec knew, but he couldn’t help but feel like they should have a bigger goodbye than turning different ways on a corridor of the castle.

“I’m always careful.”

“Be _more_ careful than you usually are, then.” Alec pulled his brother into a hug, relishing in the fact that he no longer felt awkward in that position.

“I will.” Jace squeezed him closer, “I promise.”

“If you two are done,” Isabelle had her arms crossed, “I would also like a hug.”

“Come here.” Jace grabbed her round the waist and pulled her off the ground in a crushing hug. Alec laughed, watching them, wishing things were simpler. Wishing that he could just relax and be himself, instead of the crown prince. Wishing he could be a brother, a friend, a lover. He cleared his throat, feeling his chest tighten.

“See you on the flipside.” Jace did an overdramatic bow before running off down the corridor.

“He’s going to be fine.” Isabelle assured him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

“I know.” Alec put his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer, wishing he believed his words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, thanks for reading! 
> 
> Things should get more plotty from now


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We've all been waiting for Clary, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long to upload. Enjoy!

For as long as Alec had known him, Jace never missed a trip deadline. He never stayed out longer than he was supposed to.

It had been two days since he was meant to be back, and Alec was pacing. His father insisted there must be a reason which _wasn’t_ him being hurt. Alec wasn’t so optimistic. Jace was _never_ late.

He stopped his pacing and looked out of his bed chamber window, hoping to see Jace riding back into the castle grounds with his knights. No one came. Alec set his jaw. If his father wasn’t willing to do anything, he would.

Without another minute’s hesitation, he grabbed his riding jacket and snuck out of his room. He managed to avoid everyone on his way down to the stables, as it was around two in the morning so no one was around. He put the saddle on his horse quietly and quickly. Jess neighed and bucked, so Alec stroked a hand down her jet black main and hushed her, hoping no one heard. He led her out of the small stables, looking left and right to see if anyone was around to see him.

Just as he thought he would get away without anyone noticing, someone cleared his throat behind him. Alec froze, closing his eyes, praying it was just a towns person, not a knight.

“Alexander,” A familiar voice said, “A prince should not sneak around.”

“Magnus.” Alec turned around and held his head high so it looked like he was doing something princely instead of sneaking out.

“You’re going to find Jace.” It wasn’t a question. Magnus looked as if he was dressed to go out on a walk, with brown boots and a thick jacket over his usual purple, silk shirt.

“Are you going to try and stop me?” Alec asked, defensive. He hated the fact that his walls were back up, but what Magnus wanted, he couldn’t give. They were from two different worlds and that wasn’t going to change.

“Oh, heavens no,” Magnus chuckled, rubbing his thumbs and index fingers together as if preparing to use magic, “I’m coming with you.”

“Why?”

“I have been cooped up in this village, unable to use my magic properly, for nearly two weeks.” Magnus raised an eyebrow, “I need to get out, and you can’t do this on your own.”

“Who said I can’t?” Alec tried to ignore the warmth growing in his gut, “I’m the prince. I have been trained to do exactly this.”

“I’m the high warlock of Idris,” Magnus pulled his chin up defiantly, “My help is invaluable.”

“Fine,” Alec agreed, “Grab a horse and don’t get in my way.”

“ _Someone’s_ grumpy in the morning.” Magnus mumbled and clicked his fingers, conjuring a horse in front of him, already saddled and ready to ride.

“Did you steal that?” Alec narrowed his eyes, unable to stop his suspicion of magic.

“Ah, yes.” Magnus drawled sarcastically, “This horse’s owner, a blind old lady in a village a few miles away, will wake up sad and lonely.” He gave Alec a look, “Of course I didn’t steal him. He’s mine.”

“You have a horse?”

“No, Alec, this is a figment of your-”

“Okay,” Alec held a hand up, “I get it. Now come on, we have to go before people start waking up.”

“Yes, your majesty.” Magnus bowed dramatically and Alec rolled his eyes, unable to keep the small smile off his face.

 

Alec’s eyes never stopped moving when he was thinking. That was something Magnus noticed as they rode in silence. Their horses slowly made their way over roots and leaves and rocks, but all Magnus was looking at was Alec. His eyes flicked around their surroundings, quickly assessing. It was like he was never not on high alert.

The sun was rising. They had been riding for hours, never speaking. It was peculiar that Magnus didn’t feel the need to fill the silence. Alec had a way of being that didn’t require speech. That, and Magnus had no idea what to say, even if he wanted to start conversation. What could he say? ‘Sorry your adoptive brother is missing.’? ‘Lovely day for a rescue mission, don’t you think?’

Nothing would do. So Magnus stayed silent instead, trusting his horse to know where to go so that he could stare at Alec’s profile like you would an art masterpiece.

“Wait,” Alec held up a hand, his gaze finally fixed on one point in the distance. Magnus tugged on his reins slightly, so Pearl stopped in his tracks, “Someone’s coming.”

“And?” Magnus raised an eyebrow even though Alec wasn’t looking at him, “Is that a problem?”

“It is when they have the bandit mark on their faces.” Alec narrowed his eyes, “Three of them. I can see the tattoo from here.”

“Wha-”

“Make the horses disappear. Put them back in their stables. We’ll continue on foot.” Alec’s voice dropped into that of a king, and Magnus immediately obeyed. They both climbed off the horses and with a click of his fingers, Magnus made them disappear, safe and sound in their stables, “They’re close.”

Before Magnus could say anything, Alec was grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and slamming him into the side of a tree. He wasn’t looking at him, but his face was close, so close that Magnus could feel the heat radiating from him.

They fell silent. Alec’s breathing was harsh and heavy. He finally looked at Magnus and put a finger to his own lips, telling him to be quiet. Magnus nodded slightly. Alec gave him a small smile to let him know he had understood, then looked away again. Of course, that gave Magnus the opportunity to just stare.

Alec’s arm was braced by Magnus’ head, but his attention was elsewhere, as if being this close to Magnus was just natural. He tried to keep his breathing even.

“Don’t move.” Alec breathed, just as Magnus heard footsteps approaching, heavy and without caution. It was hard to focus on that when Alec was only inches away.

“We aren’t getting paid enough for this.” A gruff voice spoke, “Going against the king is a big risk. We should demand more.”

“The king doesn’t hate us,” Another voice said, higher but hoarse, “It’s magic-users behind all this. His hate for them will draw the attention away from us.”

Alec frowned and Magnus tried to read his expression. He couldn’t tell if the frown was because they were speaking badly of the king or magic-users.

“He doesn’t exactly love us either, Vincent,” The first voice spoke again and Alec stiffened, “Tell me, how do you think he would react?”

“Badly.” A third voice chimes in, distinctly female, “We’d be executed.”

“Exactly,” Footsteps carried on away from them, “Now let’s go. That knight has given me enough trouble, I want to be far away before he does anything else.”

Alec’s eyes widened and he looked at Magnus desperately. They both knew exactly who they were talking about. Since he had his attention, Magnus nodded in the direction of the bandits, silently asking if Alec wanted to go after them. The boy shook his head minutely.

“That cave gives me the creeps anyway.” The woman said before two other pairs of footsteps followed the first away.

“Just so you know, for next time,” Magnus lightened his tone, hoping to relieve some of the tension between them, “I could’ve used magic to make us invisible.”

“It- I-” Alec stuttered, moving away from Magnus like he was burned, “It’s instinct. Sorry.”

“Penny for your thoughts?” Magnus said, trying to catch Alec’s eyes but the boy avoided his gaze.

“There’s a cave a few miles from here. Big enough to keep prisoners and far enough in the woods for no one to know. It’ll take a few hours to get there so we need to move.”

“We need to rest,” Magnus caught Alec’s arm, stopping him from marching into trouble, “You won’t be able to fight and save Jace if you haven’t slept.”

“Jace could be dead by then.” Alec finally looked him in the eye, a fire burning behind the striking blue.

“A few hours at least, Alec,” Magnus implored, “I can tell you haven’t slept since he left. Your suffering will do him no good.”

“Fine.” Alec pulled away from Magnus’ grip and sat down, his back against a tree, “A few hours, then we leave.”

“Alright.” Magnus sat down beside him, careful to leave space between them, “We’ll find him.”

“I know.” Alec was frowning, staring in front of him like if he glared hard enough the people who took Jace would appear and spontaneously combust, “You probably could’ve handled that situation way better than I did if I just let you use your magic, right? I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologise,” Magnus waved his hand and conjured a burning fire in front of them, “I should probably save my magic for battle anyway.”

“He says while making a fire with his magic.” Alec smiled, picking up a stick and prodding the fire with it, making the blue flames move, almost dancing to impress the boy. He watched in awe, and so did Magnus. It really was becoming a question he needed the answer to.

“I was cold.” Magnus shrugged, “Plus I wanted to show you something you might like.”

“Yeah?” Alec crossed his legs, like a child getting ready for a bedtime story, “What?”

Without another word, Magnus clicked his fingers and shapes started to appear in the fire. Birds, horses, people laughing. He created an image of the kingdom, then of a ball, faeries dancing and forests singing. It wasn’t incredible to see these things for Magnus anymore, so he just watched Alec’s reaction. He saw the wonder in the boy’s eyes. This crush of his was turning into a physical ache, one that would have to be resolved or removed very soon.

The last image Magnus made before he fell asleep was of the boy himself, the first time he saw him, holding a book and smiling nervously. It looked as if Alec was already asleep by then anyway, so Magnus wondered why he was even doing it.

 

“Magnus,” Alec shook Magnus’ shoulder gently, “Wake up, it’s time to go.”

“What time is it?” Magnus grumbled, not opening his eyes.

“By the looks of it, about two o’clock.” Alec glanced up at the sun, “That means we’ve had a few hours’ sleep and we need to _go._ Jace isn’t going to save himself.”

“Well, I don’t know.” Magnus finally sat up, stretching. Alec quickly looked away, “He seems the kind to always insist on saving himself.”

“He is.” Alec sheathed his sword by his hip and straightened his jacket, the instinct to groom himself as if for a public appearance ingrained since he was young. Now that he knew where Jace was, any time wasted felt like he was failing. Princes didn’t wait. Princes did what they had to do, and did it quickly, efficiently, so no one even noticed there was something to be done in the first place.

He shouldn’t let himself get distracted, and Magnus was a distraction.

“Should I prepare myself for a proper hike?” Magnus asked, and Alec shrugged in reply.

“I guess.”

“Alright-y then.” Magnus clicked his fingers, and he was suddenly wearing a big, purple coat, along with large, brown walking boots.

“What happened to reserving your magic?” Alec clenched his jaw, still unsettled in the presence of careless magic. It was like someone using a sword to cut vegetables. It just wasn’t right.

“Summoning clothing is child’s-play.” Magnus waved a hand and the fire went out. For some reason Alec hadn’t even thought of it. The fact that the blue fire became somewhat side lined in Alec’s mind was unsettling at the least.

“Come on.” He shook his head and started walking away from their makeshift camp, hoping his distraction would be left behind too.

They walked in silence for a few hours before Alec noticed they were being followed. Magnus was happily chatting away about his cat, Chairman Meow, and his many antics. He must’ve assumed that Alec was listening intently, instead of just zoning him out. It was slightly endearing, seeing Magnus’ face light up when talking about a cat, rather than planning the destruction of everything non-magical.

There was a rustle of leaves behind them. At first, Alec assumed it was the wind, but then a twig snapped to his right and he knew there was someone in the trees surrounding them. He didn’t give away that he knew, simply covering up the falter in his steps by laughing and saying he nearly tripped. Magnus looked at him curiously, so Alec mouthed ‘followed’ to him, hoping the other man would understand. He nodded before continuing his story as if nothing had happened.

Waiting for the right moment was easy. There was a snap of twigs again, closer this time, so Alec snapped into action, easily running and catching the figure before they even noticed they had been sussed out.

“Who are you?” He pinned them to a tree, then took a moment to see what they looked like. It was a girl, not much younger than Alec but clearly not the same age. She had fiery red hair and a fierce look in her eyes. By the looks of her worn, brown dress, she was a peasant. The sword tucked into her belt was clearly stolen.

“Clary Fairchild.” The girl said, like a challenge, “Who are you?”

“I’m assuming you know since you’ve been following us for the last half mile.” Alec narrowed his eyes, trying to guess why she would be following them. She didn’t have the tattoo of the bandits, but she also wasn’t a knight. The likelihood was that she was some peasant girl from the villages on the outskirts of Alicante that got a kick out of following the prince around.

“Alec Lightwood.” She smirked, like she somehow had the upper hand by knowing who he was, “You don’t have your father’s permission to be here, do you, prince?”

“What makes you think that?” Alec said through gritted teeth, making sure he kept her arms tightly by her side so she couldn’t reach for her weapon, “What would a peasant girl know about the prince?”

“This _peasant girl_ knows that the prince would never be sent out with Magnus Bane, of all people.” Clary laughed, “As if your father, the magic hater, would ever send you alone with a warlock. I’m fully aware of his discrimination.”

“You don’t know anything about my father.” Alec loomed over her, then felt a hand on his shoulder that pulled him away from Clary.

“Why were you following us?” Magnus asked gently, his hand still firm on Alec’s shoulder, keeping him a certain distance from Clary without releasing her.

“The bandits,” Clary glared at Alec a little longer before moving her gaze to Magnus, “The ones working for the druids, the ones you’re looking for. They took my friend. Your knights were being ambushed and he ran in to help, so they took him too. The only reason I didn’t was because he’d shoved me over so I couldn’t. Which was _stupid_ because I could’ve _helped-”_

“Where did you get the sword?” Alec slowly let her go, happy with the knowledge that she wasn’t actually after them. He still kept his hand on the hilt of his sword though, prepared for anything.

“One of your knights dropped it.” Clary hovered her hand over the weapon in question as if ready to stop them from taking it from her, “I took it. I’ve had practise with a sword, and my little rescue mission would be pretty crappy if I didn’t even have a weapon.”

“Well, it’s over now.” Alec straightened, using his prince voice, “We’re going to rescue them. You can go home. Let us know your village and we will bring your friend-”

“No!” Clary shouted, “No way am I staying behind while you manly men get all the fun. I’m sick of being dismissed because I’m a girl.”

“You’re also small,” Alec tilted his head, “You’re untrained-”

“My step-father was a knight.” Clary practically growled, “He trained me for years. I know what I’m doing.”

“Let her come.” Magnus said, his warmth seeping into Alec’s side, “She could help.”

“She’s just a _peasant.”_

“You’re just like your father.” Clary rolled her eyes.

“Good,” Alec crossed his arms petulantly, “He’s a great king. A mighty leader.”

“Yeah,” Clary scoffed, “And a bigot.”

“Children, please.” Magnus held up two hands, “Alec, she is coming with us. And Clary, please keep that lovely temper of yours for the real bad guys here.”

“Fine.” Both Alec and Clary said, staring at the ground.

“Lovely.” Magnus clapped his hands together, smiling like the cat that got the canary, “Let’s go.”

“This is a bad idea.” Alec whispered to Magnus, unsure of when he became someone to voice his worries to.

“I’ll hex her if she misbehaves.” Magnus breathed back, then laughed when Alec looked at him with comically wide eyes, “I’m joking. It’ll be fine, Alexander, it’s not bad to accept help from strangers.”

“Sure.” Alec said, unconvinced. Maybe Clary could be trusted, but Alec wasn’t going to take that risk when Jace’s life was at stake. There was no room for mistakes. No distractions.

Alec repeated it like a mantra in his head, even as he swayed closer to Magnus as they walked, relishing in the comfort he felt in the other man’s presence before an inevitable fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry it took so long to update. It's exam season so stress is high. My last one is tomorrow so hopefully updates will become more frequent! Let me know what you think :)


	5. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Those who are lost are found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a long time coming! Sorry about the wait...

As the sun set and they continued to walk, Magnus was completely unsurprised that he and Clary got along like a house on fire. Strong willed women with fiery personalities were always Magnus’ weakness, and this was no different. The way the girl talked about saving her friend with such certainty was inspiring. Loyalty like that was hard to come by. Never mind the fact that she kept her sword by her side like it was an extra limb, nor that she was so nimble on her feet, winding her way through the forest like she belonged there despite the dress that went down to her ankles. Magnus had tried to walk around in one, and trust him, it was not an easy task.

Especially in heels.

Also unsurprisingly, Alec stayed strong and silent. He watched their surroundings with unyielding attention, his eyes narrowing sometimes on things he found suspicious or interesting. A few times, he had held a hand up to tell them to halt, then ventured forward to check a spot so they could continue.

They never found anything.

That didn’t stop Alec from checking at random intervals.

“He always gets himself into trouble like this,” Clary said, smiling fondly, “One time, when we were little, he stopped these guys from bullying a little girl who lived in the cottage across from his. They were like ten years older than him at the time so he got the crap beaten out of him. I had to treat his wounds and hide them from his mom because she would’ve gone crazy.”

“That sounds like someone I know.” Alec muttered, the first time he had spoken in around two hours.

“Jace?” Magnus asked, encouraging the boy to say more. It was absolutely because it was healthy to keep conversation. Not because he loved Alec’s voice. Not at all.

“Yeah,” Alec smiled, looking down at his shoes, “We used to go down to the town when we were younger and unrecognisable. People didn’t know our faces, back then. I always liked to go to the market and look at all the fresh produce, but Jace would go straight for the tavern. Not to drink, obviously, but to fight. They would make bets. The younger you were, the less money you would earn, but he didn’t care. He got a bit of a reputation,” Alec laughed, twisting a ring on his finger that Magnus would probably ask about later, “Never lost a fight. I used to watch when I was done at the market. Then he started picking fights outside of the ring, noticing posters of wanted people and hunting them down without our dad’s permission. They never committed crimes again out of fear for some little fifteen-year-old. Then we got older, started making public appearances. He wasn’t anonymous anymore.”

“Did he get in trouble?” Clary asked, and Alec gave her a sharp look like he was ready to defend himself, then realised he hadn’t been insulted.

“Yes,” Alec nodded, his face pinched, “My dad made him stay on castle grounds for a month, living off of just two basic meals of meat and bread a day. It was awful. He got pretty depressed. After that, my dad commended him on his skill and put him into knight training. Now he’s head knight.” He shrugged, “So it all turned out okay.”

“Your dad sounds like a jack ass.” Clary scoffed.

“Jace shouldn’t have disobeyed him.” Alec said, his hackles going up.

“He was making the streets safer-”

“He was being _reckless-”_

“Children.” Magnus said loudly, moving to stand between them as they started to square up to each other.

“I won’t have you talk about my father that way.” Alec ignored him, still glaring at Clary, his jaw working in a way that was far too attractive for Magnus to concentrate properly.

“You think that he would defend you so fiercely?” Clary argued, nostrils flaring, “Your father only cares about his precious kingdom and its ridiculous rules. He’s no better than Valen-”

“Don’t you dare compare my father to that monster.”

“Your father _is_ a monster.” Clary said, then hit the ground. Suddenly, Alec had shoved her and was pulling his sword from his belt, pointing it at Clary’s throat before she could make any move to retaliate. Before he could even think about it, Magnus’ magic was brewing inside of him then flying out, hitting Alec so he sent flying and hit a tree. Within a second, the boy was on the floor, groaning in pain, and Magnus was running.

“Oh God.” Magnus said as he got to the boy, but Alec was already on his feet, swaying slightly, holding his sword out with wide eyes.

“What the _hell,_ Magnus?” He exclaimed, looking betrayed, hurt and worst of all, scared.

“I didn’t-”

“He was acting on reflex.” Clary had gotten to her feet too and was now stood by Magnus’ side, hand hovering over her sword as she watched Alec. Guilt curled like a vice around Magnus’ heart, “ _Someone_ had a sword to my throat.”

“I wasn’t going to _do_ anything.” Alec’s hand holding the sword was shaking.

“I didn’t know that.” Magnus found his throat closing up.

“I’m not- It’s not like- It doesn’t matter.” Alec schooled his features, taking deep breaths, then sheathed his sword, “We have to go.”

“Alec-” Magnus stepped forward, but Alec flinched away.

“We have to go.” Alec repeated before storming off in front of them, his shoulders tense and back rim rod straight. It was what he looked like when his father spoke to him at the dinner table. It made Magnus’ heart ache that Robert had such an influence over his son even when he wasn’t watching the boy’s every move over his shoulder.

“You did the right thing.” Clary said to him.

“Don’t bother, biscuit.”

 

“There!” Clary shouted, pointing to a rocky hill just visible in the distance. Squinting into the trees, Alec looked for an entrance to the cave. Before he could find anything, though, four men were appearing from the surrounding trees, unsheathing swords and yelling.

“You probably shouldn’t have shouted!” Alec shot Clary a glare before swinging at the nearest man, knocking him around the head with the handle of his sword. Behind him, he could see a flare of purple, and two of the men thumped against the trees and fell down in less than a second. It was more violent than what happened to him, but the sight still make him flinch.

Unfortunately, that meant the man, tall, broad, snarling, could get a hit in, right on Alec’s jaw. His attention snapped back and he brought his sword up again, meeting the other man’s in a cross. Clutching the hilt of his sword with both hands now, Alec pushed, bringing the other man to his knees and swiftly slicing his stomach when he was forced to drop his arms.

Turning around, he saw Clary cut down another bandit with a roar, and Magnus check the pulses of the other two.

“They’re alive.” Magnus announced flippantly, and met Alec’s eyes. He looked away.

“Mine isn’t.”

“Neither.”

“And warlocks are the ones called savage.” Magnus rolled his eyes.

“Can’t argue with that,” Alec said, then ran over to where he thought he saw an opening in the hill before either of the others could reply, “Here!” He shouted, peering into the darkness, “Jace?”

“Alec?” The voice was weak, and Alec ran towards it. The cave was suddenly lit up with purple light and Alec glanced behind him to see Magnus and Clary enter, the latter searching the space with a frantic look in her eyes. In the back of the cave, there were several figures huddled over, but only one of them was who he wanted to see.

“Jace!” He ran towards the other boy, moving his hand away from his sword so that he could cup his brother’s face in his hands and assess damages. His eyes were droopy, and his skin was deathly pale, “Have you eaten? Had any water?”

“Not that I can remember.” Jace smiled then, the cocky smirk that often made Alec want to punch him in the face, “Stop lookin’ at me like I’m a damsel in distress, pretty boy.”

“Oh God,” Alec laughed, “You called me pretty. That’s a bad sign.”

“You always wanted me to.” Jace frowned, smacking his lips together, “You got any water? Hell, just piss in my mouth I’ll take anything.”

“I think I’ll pass.” Alec reached into his pocket and pulled out the cow skin pouch he had been keeping water in. He brought it to Jace’s mouth and tilted it back so the boy could drink his fill.

“Thanks,” Jace said after a moment, wiping his mouth, “Promise you won’t tell Robert that I’m being so pathetic.”

“It’s not pathetic, Jace. You’ve been in here for ages, there’s nothing wrong with weakness.”

“Did you really just say that?” Jace looked at Alec in amazement, “I’m not hallucinating, am I? You did just say it’s okay to be weak.”

“Shut up.” Alec shook his head, letting out a breath. Jace was okay. They had come all this way and _Jace was okay_ , “Can you stand?”

“Of course I can stand, don’t baby me.” Jace pushed Alec’s hands away when he tried to help and used the wall to pull himself up.

“Have you found your friend?” Alec asked Clary when he was sure Jace was okay. The other girl looked concerned, scanning the sparse faces in the cave.

“He’s not here,” She groaned, “Goddammit Simon, you have to make everything so difficult!”

“Wait wait-” Jace spoke up, his voice gravelly from a dry throat- “Simon? You’re looking for Simon?”

“You know him?” Alec caught Magnus’ eye and quickly looked away again, his heart hammering. It was getting harder to say it was because of fear.

“Briefly,” Jace held a hand to his stomach, and Alec was definitely going to ask about that later, “He kept mouthing off to the guys holding us and they took him off somewhere down there.” He pointed to a large rock behind them all, and Magnus pushed it aside with his magic, revealing a dark tunnel.

“Interesting.” He mused, before stepping into the gap and making his way forward, Clary closely following behind.

“Help me give our guys some water.” Alec spotted a well of water by the entrance to the cave, and noted the chains around the other knights. Liklihood was that they were left alone most of the time, with water so close but just out of reach. It make Alec’s stomach turn.

“Yessir.” Jace mock saulted, then followed Alec to the well, filling all of the pouches that had been gathered there, probably confiscated when they were captured.

“How did-” Alec rethought his words, trying to make them sound uninsulting, “How did they get you? You’re trained knights, they’re just common criminals.”

“They had druids.” Jace closed off at the memory, “Two or three. We took a few bandits down, then out come some cloaked assholes that are chanting in a language I don’t know. Of course, that’s when that Simon guy thought it’d be a great idea to butt in. He punched one of them in the face, they put a spell or something on him that knocked the kid straight out. I had to carry him bridal style with us ‘cause they wouldn’t let us leave him. Poor kid is probably dead back there. Shame.”

“Clary said she saw it happen.” Alec threw the newly filled pouches to their men and quickly scanned them to see if anyone was seriously hurt, “She followed us for nearly a day before we noticed her.”

“Smart girl,” Jace smirked, “My kind of woman.”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Got my sights on someone already,” Jace winked, “Don’t worry about it.”

“That is exactly the sentence that will make me worry the most.” Alec rolled his eyes, then addressed the rest of the knights, “How are you guys? Anyone hurt?”

“Watching you two shits interact is making me squeamish, yeah.” Raj pretended to gag and the others laughed, “Other than that I’m dandy.”

“I think I broke my wrist.” Andy spoke up, holding up a lightly swollen hand.

“It’s a sprain,” Felix said from next to him, “I told you it’s a sprain!”

“But it’s squishy.” Andy moaned, “Is it meant to be squishy?”

“I used to be a doctor, it’s a sprain.” Felix tipped his head back onto the stone.

“How did you even become a knight with an attitude like that?” Paige, their only female knight, caused an uproar of laughter.

“Slept with the head knight.” Andy winked at Jace, who blushed slightly and looked away, “How did you?”

“Slept with the head knight’s sister,” Paige raised an eyebrow, “And beat so many bad guys up that they _had_ to recruit me.”

“Just saying,” Jace held up his hands as if in surrender, “Sleeping with the head knight probably would’ve made your job easier.”

“Just saying,” Paige replied in a mocking tone, “I’m a lesbian.”

“Knew there’d be a bump in the road.” Jace clicked his fingers, then his eyes widened and he ran towards the tunnel. Alec followed his line of sight to see Magnus and Clary coming out of the tunnel, both supporting Simon with his arms over their shoulder, “Simon!” Jace cupped the boy’s face in his hands and Alec watched the interaction with growing suspicion.

“Piece of advice,” Simon said weakly, with a small smile, “Don’t piss of bandits.”

“Idiot.” Jace laughed wetly, then held his water pouch to the boy’s lips, “Here, have some water.”

“Well,” Magnus said, his eyes still cat like and casual, “It’s going to be a fun trip back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, lemme know what you think so far!


	6. Returning to Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When they return to Alicante, the welcome is not as pleasant as you would have hoped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT HAS BEEN A LONG TIME BUT IM BACK WITH A BADLY WRITTEN CHAPTER OF MALEC ANGST HERE YOU GO

They didn’t speak much on the journey back. At least, Alec and Magnus didn’t. Clary, Jace, and that Sherman boy were talking behind them with laughter in their voices, and the knights were all chatting and shoving each other. It was only Magnus and Alec that were left out of conversation, Magnus being too wracked with guilt to say anything.

With the gates to the town growing closer, Magnus almost sighed in relief. To say the journey had been awkward would be a damn understatement. His relief immediately melted away when he saw how many guards were stood by the entrance.

“My dad probably panicked when he realised I was gone,” Alec said, having probably noticed Magnus’ panic. He didn’t look at him though, and his expression was as stony as ever. His trust in his father was admirable, but misplaced.

“I wouldn’t be too sure of that.”

“Boys!” Jace ran to the front of the crowd of rescued knights, and ahead of Magnus and Alec, and addressed the guards, “Bet you thought I was a goner.”

“Good to see you’re well, sir,” One of the knights said, a bead of sweat dripping down the side of his face, “But step aside.”

“What?” Jace looked confused, but Magnus knew exactly what was about to happen.

“Magnus Bane,” The guard eventually shoved Jace out of the way and stood head on to Magnus, “You’re under arrest, by order of the king.”

“Of course,” Magnus held his hands behind his back, and waited to be escorted away, but instead, he was shoved to the ground.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Alec yelled, and Magnus could hear a scuffle but couldn’t see it because his face had been shoved into the dirt by a foot on his neck.

“Warlock scum,” A gob of spit landed by his head, and the foot pressed down harder, forcing a breath out of Magnus, “The king should never have trusted you. Now that you’ve kidnapped his son, he finally sees the light.”

“Kidnapped me?” Alec squeaked, at the same time Jace spoke up.

“This is ridiculous,” He said, “He helped save all of us. Let us see the king.”

“I’m afraid not,” Another guard said from somewhere to Magnus’ right, “He has ordered for you all to be checked over by the physician before you speak to anyone of importance.”

“Why?” Alec seethed, and Magnus tried to hope it was for him, but just felt like it was probably towards his father for disrespecting him. Magnus had lost all of his respect. It was over now. Maybe Ragnor would come save him, or, God forbid, Camille.

“We don’t know what magic he did on you to make you comply.”

“He-” Alec started, then seemed to reconsider, “What magic could he have done without us noticing?”

“You noticed nothing?”

“I,” Alec paused, “I don’t know.”

Magnus closed his eyes. He should never have come here.

 

Alec paced.

They were in the physician’s wing of the castle, and no one had come to see them. The doors were locked from the outside, and breaking the windows would just be ridiculous, since they were on the fourth floor. Jace was sat with the knights, not speaking, but then again, neither were the knights. Everyone was shell shocked. There had been murmurs of ‘But he helped save us, right?’ and ‘Should have known’. No one had dared confront Alec about it though. Not even Clary.

She was sat with Simon, rubbing his back as he took panicked, shaking breaths.

He didn’t understand. Would Magnus cast a spell on him to make him compliant? He hadn’t felt any different, and had certainly not complied. All he could think that was maybe Magnus did it while he was asleep. That would make sense.

No. Alec shook the thought out of his head. Magnus was reckless, impulsive, cunning, and rude. But he was also kind, creative, gentle, and selfless. If he wanted Alec to go along with whatever he wanted to do, he would have talked him into it, not used his magic. The only times Alec had ever actually seen him use it was to make things more beautiful than they already were. Surely he would never use it to hurt someone, or at least not on purpose.

“Alright,” A guard walked into the room, “One of you can come to see the king.”

She was clearly addressing Jace and Alec, who shared a look before Jace nodded and Alec stepped forward. It was time to see what the hell was going on.

 

The cell was cold and damp, filled with straw as if it was originally intended to be stable. Magnus crossed his legs and leant back against the wall. It sent a chill down his spine, but he had been in here for hours now and needed to rest. Rejecting the comforts he might be able to give himself, just because they weren’t exceptionally comfortable, would be madness.

They hadn’t told him anything before they threw him in here. No reason, no just accusation, nothing. It just made his suspicions even more clear. He was in here purely because of who he was. To be honest, he should have been used to this by now. Prejudice followed him wherever he went. It was extremely unsurprising that it had followed him to the one place that hates magic the most. And of course he would fall for their king’s son.

Magnus really had it in for himself.

His eyes flew open when there was a clang against his cell’s bars.

“Wake up, warlock,” The guard spat, and Magnus got to his feet as calmly as he could. He would not give them the satisfaction of getting to him.

“Alec,” Magnus breathed when the boy came into view. He looked tense, with his hands behind his back and his mouth set into a grim line, “What are you doing here?”

“I need you to tell me,” Alec bit his lip, ignoring the question, “I need- I need to know that I’m right.”

“What?”

“Did you use magic on me?” Alec asked, his stoic mask falling ever so slightly, showing how tired he really looked, “Ever? To make me go with you. To make me,” He swallowed, “To make me like you?”

“No,” Magnus said immediately, “God, no, I would never. You have to believe me, Alexander, you have never been acting in any way apart from your own. I promise you.”

“Good,” Alec sighed, “That’s what I thought.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Alec met Magnus’ eyes through the bars, and they looked brighter than they did a moment ago, “Magic is your defence. Just like how I threatened Clary with my sword, you got me away from her with your magic. That’s the only time I’ve seen you use it negatively, and every other time it has been,” His eyes flicked around the room before meeting Magnus’ again, “Beautiful.”

“Oh, Alexander,” Magnus curled his fingers around the bars, nearly brushing against the lapels of Alec’s jacket, “I’m so sorry things turned out this way. I should have known that if I came with you-”

“That my father would accuse you of kidnapping?” Alec shook his head, “How could you have possibly known that?”

“I am a child of magic,” Magnus shrugged, “Your father has made it clear that my kind is not welcome here.”

“You’re always welcome here, to me,” Alec swallowed, and looked at the ceiling, as if composing himself. Even in the darkness, Magnus could see the raw emotion on the boy’s face. This was probably the most emotional he had seen Alec. It was gorgeous.

“I know, and I thank you for that, but your father will-” Magnus bit his tongue before he could say ‘have me executed’- “I won’t be able to stay much longer.”

“He can’t,” Alec sighed, looking at Magnus again. Hesitantly, he covered Magnus’ hand with his own, and stared at where they were touching when he spoke, “He can’t just get rid of you. You haven’t done anything illegal.”

“I used magic on the prince,” Magnus laughed bitterly, trying to ignore the tingle in his fingers, “That, to your father, is unforgivable. God knows what he must’ve thought when he found the balcony I lit up.”

“How could anyone think that isn’t beautiful?” Alec frowned, moving even closer to the bars, “Everything about you- your magic,” He ducked his head, blushing, “is beautiful.”

“You do like that word, don’t you?”

“Shut up,” Alec scoffed, then glanced at where the guards must be. Seemingly satisfied, he turned to Magnus with a newly determined glint in his eyes, “I’m going to do something, right now. Stop me if- if you don’t want-”

“Do it, Alexander.”

“Okay.”

Sure that Alec was going to kiss him, Magnus closed his eyes, making sure he was close enough to the bar for Alec to reach him. But then Alec’s hand was gone, and he was being yanked away.

“Alec?” Magnus called out, watching as Alec fought against the guard holding him. With one glance back at him, the fear in Alec’s eyes would be all Magnus would see until he came back. If he came back, “Alec!”

*

“You can’t do this!” Alec shouted, yanking his arm out of the guard’s grip, “Raj, I didn’t realise you were such an asshole.”

“I’m just following orders.”

“Alec,” The king said calmly, but Alec didn’t lessen his glare when he turned to his father, “You were not to go and see that monster, you were to come to me.”

“You should get better guards,” Alec raised an eyebrow with a pointed glance at Raj. The idiot was so easy to lose. Slipping into the dungeons without him noticing was one of the least difficult things Alec ever had to do.

The King stayed silent for a moment, tapping his fingers on the arms of the throne. Alec felt himself fall back into his old habit of standing to attention. He couldn’t help but show his father respect. He had such a presence that he demanded it, and Alec’s comment a moment ago made it grow tenfold. Ever the submissive, pathetic child, Alec ducked his head.

“This _warlock_ was meant to protect this kingdom,” Robert said it like an announcement, as if there was an audience waiting for his verdict, “And instead, he has derailed my eldest son. He’ll get what all of his kind deserve.”

“You can’t be serious,” At his father’s glare, Alec had to swallow down the urge to cower, “He did nothing wrong. I was the one who wanted to go after Jace, and he came with me to help. The only reason our kingdom hasn’t been under attack is because of his wards.”

“You have no way to prove that.”

“You have no proof of your claims!” Alec clenched his fists at his sides, “Magnus is a loyal, decent man, who has simply shown this family kindness.”

“He is half demon,” The King leant forward in his throne, looking at Alec as if he were dirt on his shoe, “Things like that can’t be good. They’re monsters, with their infrequent uses.”

“The only monster here, is you.”

“Alexander,” The King stood up, and the guards took a step towards Alec. He didn’t flinch. He held eye contact with his father, feeling his defiance build up in him like a volcano ready to erupt, “You will not argue with me. This is not a debate.”

“No,” Alec said, “It’s a demand. Release Magnus. He has done nothing but help us.”

Robert reeled back, the shock on his face plain as day. Satisfaction curled in Alec’s stomach. Maybe he would get the message.

“You have feelings for him.”

“What?” Now it was Alec’s turn to be shocked. His father usually wasn’t this observant. Was he that obvious?

“Oh, how predictable,” Robert stepped down from his throne, and slowly walked towards Alec, “You have feelings for the warlock. I’ve heard about people falling for ‘bad boys’, but half demons? I’m ashamed of you.”

“And I’m ashamed of you,” Alec tried to keep his composure, “We used to be accepting, but ever since mother died-”

“Do not speak of her-”

“-You have been cruel and prejudice against those with magic. Those days are over.”

Letting out a breath, Alec looked behind him to see Raj and the other guard looking at him with growing respect. If there was any time to do something, now would be it. Formulating a quick plan in his head, Alec turned back to his father and held his gaze.

“So are your days as king.”

“You can’t take my crown,” Robert scoffed, “Not until I’m dead.”

That was true, in most cases, but Alec had been reading about this Kingdom’s law since his childhood. There were exceptions.

“I deem you unfit for the crown,” Alec held his hand out, praying that either Raj or the other guard would take the hint. A gauntlet landed in his palm, and Alec let himself smile at his father’s shocked face. Without a moment’s hesitation, he dropped the gauntlet between himself and his father.

“You’re challenging me?”

Alec simply nodded.

“Tomorrow, dawn,” Alec turned, then addressed Raj, “Bring Magnus to my chambers.”

“Yes, your highness.”

His head held high, Alec walked back to the hospital wing to tell Jace about how he had either proved himself brave and noble, or just damned himself to be killed by his own father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you think.
> 
> Love ya!


	7. Challenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec and Magnus deal with the reality of what challenging the king means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm updating more often! yay!
> 
> You're welcome, I guess...
> 
> I hope you're enjoying it so far! It's turning more towards Merlin- like challenges and knights and stuff. We'll go to the main plot of the druids soon. I haven't forgotten about it, don't worry. Also malec! That new ep tho!

There had been a few minutes of blissful silence before Magnus’ cell was opened with a slam. The guard by the cell door didn’t look happy, and threw a key at his feet, where they were shackled with loose chains that did nothing but degrade him. Not wanting to question it, Magnus unlocked his bounds and stood up, watching the guard with apprehension.

“The prince has called you to his chambers,” The guard said, a bitter twist to her mouth, “Brush yourself off, warlock, his chambers are clean.”

“Why do that, when I can do this?” Magnus clicked his fingers, unable to resist, cleaning himself with his magic. His clothes were suddenly pristine, and he grinned at the guard’s affronted expression as he walked out of his cell. If there was one thing they could never take from him, it was his grace.

“This way,” The guard shoved past him and started walking down the damp corridor. Barely holding back a sarcastic remark, Magnus followed.

Perhaps Alec had found a way to have him released.

They walked for a few minutes, winding down endless corridors and up endless stairs. Magnus’ legs were starting to ache by the time they got to Alec’s room. He was breathing heavily when the guard knocked on the door and Alec opened it looking frazzled.

“Hello, Alexander.”

“Magnus,” Alec looked relieved, his shoulders sagging, “Come in,” He looked at the guard who was still lingering by the door, “You can go.”

“I’ll be down the corridor if you need anything,” She gave Magnus a warning glance, and he winked at her. Anything to aggravate the bigots. That was practically Magnus’ life motto.

Once she had left, Alec slammed his chamber door closed and turned to Magnus, his eyes filled with determination and a little bit of fear. No, scratch that, a _lot_ of fear.

“My dear,” Magnus considered him with concern, “What have you done?”

“I challenged my father,” It came out of Alec in a rush, like he had been holding in that very sentence since he came to his room. It only took a second for that to sink in.

“Oh,” Magnus said, “ _Oh,_ no! Why would you do that? If you have challenged the king, then surely it is a fight to the-”

“Death,” Alec nodded solemnly, “Yes.”

“Alexander,” Magnus shook his head, “You shouldn’t put yourself in danger, even if it is for the greater good. You’re safe here.”

“I may be, but people like you aren’t, and I can’t stand for that,” Alec blinked, and a blush crawled up his cheeks, “And I did it for you, too. He was going to have you executed. I just- I couldn’t let that happen.”

It took a lot of strength to not kiss him in that moment, but Magnus managed to hold back. Alec would have to be the one to make that move. All this time, he felt as if he was pushing Alec into something he didn’t want to do, and it was high time Alec told him otherwise.

“You’re sweet,” Magnus smiled, itching to comfort Alec in some physical way. Hold his hand, give him a hug, pat his arm for Christ’s sake, but it still felt as if he had lost permission. Since the forest, and the slip of his magic, Magnus had felt like he was hanging on to their connection by a thread. Maybe Alec was going to do something important in the cells, but that moment was over now. They were here. They were in Alec’s chambers, him having just challenged his father to a fight to the death for the crown.

“Not really,” Alec said, “Jace told me I’m a damn idiot that’s going to get himself killed,” He laughed slightly, “He’s probably out there right now trying to get my dad to back out.”

“I don’t see that happening,” Magnus pursed his lips, “Your father is a stubborn man.”

“I know,” Alec straightened, “And that’s why I wanted you here. All this time, I’ve been meaning to tell you- tell you something.”

“Well, Alexander, as it may be your last night, there is no time like the present,” Magnus was almost giddy with excitement. He felt like a child again, about to be told whether his crush liked him back.

“I used to be afraid of magic,” Alec started, gently reaching for Magnus’ hand. Of course, Magnus let him take it. Then, they were just standing in the middle of Alec’s chambers, holding hands in the afternoon light coming in from the window, “Everything about it scared me, since my mom died. I never saw beautiful magic. I never saw _good_ magic,” He met Magnus’ eyes with a small smile, “Then you came along. You made flowers glow, you created pictures in a fire, you protected my kingdom with your wards,” Alec ducked his head, “When you used it on me, you were protecting Clary, and I know that now. Your magic is,” He swallowed, tangling their fingers together and staring at where they were connected, “Your magic is beautiful,” He looked up, “ _You’re_ beautiful. Every day, I’ve found it harder and harder to tell myself that the feeling in my stomach is from fear of what you can do, when really it’s a fear of the fact that I want you. I want you.”

The world seemed to stand still, and all Magnus could do was smile, looking at Alec and finally seeing him for what he was. He was just a boy, scared of his own feelings. It wasn’t that Magnus had never seen that, but now he could see it without the layers of prince, and warrior, and a loyal son.

“Say something,” Alec said nervously, his hand clammy where it was touching Magnus’.

“I want you too, Alec,” Magnus grinned, “So much. And I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you,” Alec sagged, and started leaning in. Instead of a kiss though, like Magnus was expecting, he pulled him into a gentle hug, and buried his nose into Magnus’ neck like it could keep him safe, “Thank you,” He whispered, and Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec’s waist and held on.

They would get through this.

*

“I still can’t believe you’re doing this,” Jace threw his sword from his left hand, to his right, and shook his head, “You love Robert more than any of us. What made you suddenly want to fight him to the death?”

“Principles,” Alec watched Jace’s right hip for his tell when he was about to attack, “He won’t accept that his rules are wrong, and outdated, so I need to show him.”

“Stupid,” Jace’s hip twitched, and he lunged, but Alec was ready for him, meeting him in an arch above their heads, “You’re going to get yourself killed.”

“Robert is old,” Alec swung back and jabbed, but Jace swerved out of the way, “Unfit,” He swung again, this time a fist, and got Jace in the jaw, “And traditional.”

“What?” Jace held his jaw, and spat some blood onto the floor, “You’re going to punch him enough to get him down?” They circled each other, panting, “He may be traditional, but you’ve been getting sloppy.”

“I’m not sloppy,” Alec protested, but landed on his ass when Jace swiftly ran over and kicked his feet out from under him.

“Aren’t you?” Jace grinned, and held out a hand, which Alec accepted.

“You’re our best fighter, and Robert hasn’t trained in months.”

“We don’t know what he gets up to when he isn’t around,” Jace wiped the back of his hands over his forehead, “You can’t rely on that.”

“I’m not relying on anything,” Alec insisted, “I’ll win.”

“You better,” Just as Alec was about to tell Jace off for looking at him with such concern, the doors to the training room were swinging open and heels were stomping across the floor.

“You challenged dad?!” Isabelle yelled, her face full of fury. There were two people scurrying behind her, and Alec rolled his eyes when he realised who they were.

“I followed to congratulate you,” Clary smiled at him, and Alec had an odd sense of pride at having pleased her. He was going soft, dammit.

“I just follow people who look like they know where they’re going,” Simon shrugged, and looked at Jace, who, Alec noticed, seemed suddenly sheepish.

“I had to, Iz,” Alec sighed, running his fingers through his hair, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Isabelle nodded, “I know what it must have been like. If someone I loved had been put in the dungeon I don’t know what I’d do,” She stepped forward, “I’m just here to tell you that if you die, I’ll never forgive you.”

“I didn’t do this for Magnus,” Alec said, waving a hand, “Or, at least, not completely. The King has brought sadness onto this castle and kingdom for far too long. It’s time that someone challenged him.”

“I would have challenged him ages ago if he would even take me seriously,” Isabelle huffed, crossing her arms, “Tell me that when you become king you won’t be so prejudice against women.”

“Of course,” Alec frowned, offended that she would even think he would keep the traditionalist values towards women that his father valued, “Since seeing Fairchild fighting those thugs? I wouldn’t take her on in a fight.”

“That’s probably for the best,” Clary smirked, “I’d kick your flat ass.”

“I don’t-” Alec flushed- “I don’t have a flat ass.”

“You really do,” Jace laughed, “Oh God, how had I not noticed that before?”

“Why would you be looking at his ass?” Isabelle raised her eyebrows at him judgingly.

“I’m known to appreciate a butt from time to time, and at least half of those are male butts.”

“Just as long as you’re not checking out my butt,” Alec wrinkled his nose.

“Oh, please,” Jace scoffed, “A year ago, you would’ve creamed yourself if I checked out your butt.”

“Okay, first,” Simon spoke up, grimacing, “Gross. And can we please stop talking about butts now?”

“Why?” Jace grinned, “You jealous?”

“You wish.”

Alec looked between them with narrowed eyes. He would have to interrogate Jace about that when they were next alone. _If_ they were alone again.

Looking down at his sword as his family and friends talked around him, Alec prayed that the fight tomorrow would go as well as all the ones so far. He was still alive, after all.

*

There were people lining the arena, rows of them waving flags, shouting, praying for either their king or prince to fall to their untimely demise. Magnus had to admit that it was all extremely morbid. He wasn’t used to being surrounded by violence. He kept to himself when he could. With the only person he could possibly fight being himself, there wasn’t much violence in his home.

Clearly this kingdom was incredibly different.

He let his gaze linger on the sandy ground where Alec would be fighting his father, then turned around and headed straight for the man’s tent.

“They’re cheering for you,” He said upon entering, taking in the sight of Alec in his armour. His chest plate was being put on by a young servant, and Alec looked ethereal.

“Or for my death.”

Magnus couldn’t really argue with that, considering it was true. Alec was nervous, clearly, with sweat beading on his forehead, and his skin pale, all blood drained from his face. Gently, Magnus moved a lock of hair away from his forehead and stroked his thumb across the skin there, hoping it brought him some comfort. He could have used magic, but it didn’t feel like the right time.

“If I die,” Alec looked at him, his eyes pleading, “Don’t watch it. Look away.”

“Of course,” Magnus nodded, “But I won’t have to do that, my dear Alexander, because you’re going to win.”

“I hope so.”

Jace came barrelling into the tent, then, holding a sword.

“Here,” He bit his lip and handed it over to Alec, “I sharpened it.”

“I didn’t even notice it was gone,” Alec took the offered sword with a small smile, running his thumb up the flat of the blade.

“I got Simon to steal it,” Jace shrugged, “He’s a good thief.”

“Mhm,” Alec was still admiring the sword, yet still managed to sound knowing, “We’re going to talk about that when I get back.”

“In that case, I hope you don’t,” Jace said, then immediately backtracked, “I mean- I don’t hope that,” He looked up and pointed at the sky, “Don’t kill him because I tried to be funny.”

“It’s time,” Isabelle held the tent door open from the outside, her expression sombre. She had bags under her eyes. Possibly, she’d had even less sleep than Magnus had. It was hard to sleep when your possible new boyfriend was fighting his father to the death the next day.

“It’s going to be fine,” Alec said to her, pulling her into an armour-clad hug.

“Are you telling me that, or yourself?” She said quietly, tears in her voice.

“Both,” Alec replied, practically whispered into her hair. He pulled away and held her shoulders, “Have you seen dad?"

“I’ve said goodbye,” Isabelle confirmed, and Alec turned his gaze to Jace.

“Done,” He said, nodding, then walked over and yanked Alec into a rough hug. Magnus watched on with a heavy heart. If Alec died today, it would be his fault, “You’re going to be a great king.”

All Alec did was nod when they separated, staring at his friend like it would be the last time he was going to see him. And, for all he knew, it was.

“You’re going to be wonderful,” Magnus said when Alec’s eyes landed on him. He didn’t say anything immediately, just picked up Magnus’ hand and pressed a gentle kiss onto his knuckles.

“I’ll see you soon,” He said, letting go of Magnus’ hand. His fingers lingered though, and it took a few steps for his hand to completely fall away.

Then he was gone, onto the battlefield. Magnus, Isabelle, and Jace all scurried to follow his footsteps, stopping just outside the arena so they could see what was happening.

His heart in his throat, Magnus watched Alec take what could possibly be his last steps outside of a fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lemme know what y'all think. I'm always up for suggestions, and if you notice any typos, let a gal know.
> 
> Until next time chaps


	8. The Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo I'm back. It's beeen a while. Soz. It's one in the morning don't judge me

Nervous couldn’t begin to describe how Alec was feeling. Terrified wouldn’t even come close. Exhilarated was close. It was hard to feel fully exhilarated when the person you were fighting was your father. Every time their swords clashed, Alec flashed back to him being taught how to fight in the first place.

 His father would hand him a wooden sword, smile, and ruffle his hair, then make him fight until he felt faint. It was nice. It was how they bonded. Then mother died, and everything went downhill.

Robert didn’t train with him anymore. He wouldn’t even look at him in the same way. There were no smiles, no hair ruffles, no hugs. As Robert hardened, so did Alec. Where Robert hated, so did Alec. He mimicked his father to get what little affection he could.

It didn’t work anymore. No matter what Alec did, no matter who he arrested, no matter who he hated and rejected, his father wouldn’t even smile at him. It was impossible to get a laugh out of the man.

He put every rejected joke into his swing. Every jab at Alec’s masculinity in his thrusts. Every harsh word, push down, cruel sentence. All of Alec’s held back anger about his treatment for the last ten years turned into rage in his fight.

There was no fear in Robert’s eyes as he dodged Alec’s blows, and threw some of his own. All Alec could see was calm calculation. That was all Robert was. Calm calculation.

But in the real world, in the world Alec saw when he was rescuing Jace, calculated moves don’t save you from people who haven’t touched a manual in their life. Calculated approaches can’t save you when someone is screaming and running for your throat. No one is going to appreciate your stance when they’re trying to kill you. Alec had learned that, but Robert hadn’t.

He had the cockiness of a king. It was obvious in the way he stood, the way he swung, the way his chin never moved. This was a man who had never lost a fight. This was a man that expected respect. Alec was done respecting people that no longer deserved it. This man wasn’t his father anymore, he was the ruthless king who needed to be taken down.

Alec lost his balance for a moment, and Robert took advantage of it. He swiftly kicked Alec’s legs from under him and held his sword up as he hit the floor. Alec watched the blade come closer with wide eyes. He heard a yell from the crowd.

“Get up!” Magnus yelled, “Don’t you dare die on me!”

This was why Alec was doing this. He was doing it for his people, for Magnus. He wasn’t going to let himself give up when the man towering above him was the same man that had been persecuting an entire people just because they were different. Just because his wife was killed by one of them.

He rolled out of the way at the last minute, and his cheek got nicked by the sword as it made its way into the ground. Not giving Robert time to recover, Alec swiftly got to his feet and punched him in the back with the hilt of his sword. Robert went face first into the ground, and Alec kicked away the sword that was still stabbed into the ground.

Robert on the floor and Alec above him was something he never thought would happen. Pathetically, Robert rolled onto his back and looked up at Alec. Though his facial expression didn’t betray it, Alec knew his father was scared. It was over. There was no way Robert could get out of this without a lot of manoeuvring that Alec wouldn’t allow.

“Go ahead,” Robert held Alec’s gaze and dropped his head back, “Finish me off, Alec. I know you’ve been waiting for this.”

“No, I haven’t,” Alec said, his blade inching closer to Robert’s throat, “I’ve been waiting for you to change, for you to let go of your hate, but you haven’t. You can’t.”

Someone in the crowd shouted his name, and he turned without realising he was doing it. Before he could even look all the way, his sword was being kicked out of his hand, and Robert was on him.

They tussled on the ground for a minute, throwing hits where they could but mostly trying not to choke on the sand they were throwing up with their bodies. Eventually Robert had Alec pinned down, and he stared up as his father wrapped two hands around his throat.

Choking, Alec blindly reached out, trying to find something, anything to fight with.

“Come on, Alec!” Jace’s voice rung out, “You can do this!”

“Alexander, you are stronger than this!”

He was, he would be, Alec wasn’t going to give up. Just as his vision was blurring, his fingertips touched cold metal. Almost smiling, Alec grabbed the sword, ignoring the pain of his hand being sliced open, and dragged it towards himself.

Flipping it in his hand, he brought it up with all of his strength and drove it into Robert’s side.

Feeling your father’s blood drip down onto your hand as you remove the sword you just stabbed him with wasn’t the best feeling. It made Alec want to throw up. He was too busy gasping for breath and pushing Robert’s body off him to even think about it.

Eventually, he pushed himself to his feet, and the cheering filled his ears.

“I did it,” Alec said to himself, his voice raspy and throat bruised, “I can’t believe I did it.”

Looking out at the crowd, Alec scanned for the only people he wanted to see. Magnus was already climbing down, probably heading for the gap in the arena wall. Alec ran.

“You did it,” Magnus grinned, touching Alec’s face gently, swiping his thumbs over his cheeks, wiping away tears and blood Alec didn’t even realise were there.

“I did it.”

“You’re alive.”

“I’m alive,” Alec smiled down at the beautiful Warlock that changed his entire world view, and did what he had been thinking about for a long time. He kissed the living daylights out of him.

It was everything Alec thought it would be, but also awkward and sweaty because he had just come out of a fight and surprised Magnus with what was practically an assault. Apparently, he didn’t mind, though. Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec’s neck and responded to the kiss with twice as much enthusiasm.

Alec wanted to talk to Jace, to Izzy, and see if they were okay after seeing their father die. He was shaking himself from doing the act. Right now, though, he just wanted to be as close as possible to Magnus while he could.

“Alec, I hate to interrupt,” Jace pulled them apart, and stood in front of Alec, his expression sombre, “You need to see this.”

He and Magnus exchanged a worried look before following Jace to whatever he was talking about.

They walked down a corridor and to one of the front windows, where what they saw made Alec want to throw up all over again.

*

There were people all over the courtyard, fighting, ripping each other apart.

“Who’s doing this?” Alec shouted, “Is this the Druids? Are they here?”

“No one’s here,” Jace said, “They’re doing this to each other. Everyone here is from our kingdom.”

Magnus shook his head. This couldn’t be possible. He had seen this before.

 

_“How did this happen?” Magnus ran up behind his father, watching the people of their village claw and each other with no remorse, “What’s going on, papa?”_

_“Just a little bit of fun,” Father said, “We’ve been here a long time and I’m afraid I get bored. Come now, we need to find another place to live for now.”_

_“But papa, I liked it here,” Magnus looked over to where his best friend Mia was swinging at her father, who roughly picked her up and threw her in the village well. Magnus heard her scream as she fell, and ran to help her._

_“No, Magnus,” Father tugged on his collar and pulled him back, “We don’t help.”_

_“Why not?”_

_“If you help what you caused, then you are more evil than I.”_

_Magnus stared up at his father, at the yellow eyes that only came out ever so often. He looked back at the people of his village. Had he caused this? Was he the reason Mia was down that well?_

_“Don’t look so sad, Magnus. You didn’t do this,” Father rolled his eyes, “Your powers aren’t nearly as impressive as mine, don’t flatter yourself.”_

_“But- but why?”_

_“Like I said,” His father’s grin still haunted him to this day, “I got bored.”_

“Asmodeus.”

“What?” Alec stared at him in bewilderment, then seemed to notice how shaken he was, “Magns, are you alright?”

“My father,” Magnus stared at the ground, unwilling to look the boys in the eye as he told them of his evil past, “He did this before, to a village we used to live in when I was a child. Only he would do this,” He sighed, “Only he would be able to.”

“Asmodeus is a prince of hell,” Jace said, “Your father is a prince of hell?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Alec waved a hand, and even though it was a flippant comment that probably didn’t mean acceptance, it took some weight off Magnus’ shoulders, “How do we stop this? They’re killing each other.”

“I don’t know,” Magnus shook his head, “I was only with him when I was a child, and after I left I tried to forget about it rather than figure it out.”

They all looked out of the window again, at the screaming, savage people below. It was a horrible sight. Magnus had to look away after a moment. He saw that Alec was still looking, and his hand was shaking. Slowly, Magnus took it, and tried to catch his gaze.

“It’s going to be fine.”

“How can you know that?”

Magnus was about to start a reassuring speech, but a guard was approaching them, with three official looking people following her. Outside, people started gathering outside of the gates, and rather than more citizens that Magnus expected to see, they were robed.

“Druids,” Magnus said quietly, squeezing Alec’s hand.

“What shall we do, sire?” The guard said, staring at Alec as if he knew all the answers.

“What?” Alec looked down at himself, surprised to have the authority put on him.

“You’re the king now, aren’t you?” The guard said, “What do we do?”

Alec took in a breath, ad Magnus watched the boy prince who looked scared of himself in the balcony garden turn into the king, a man who demanded respect.

“We fight.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More to come!
> 
> Might have to wait a while....but it will come!

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on tumblr- girlsf0rgirls


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